


Second Wind

by QuillQ



Series: Second Wind Universe [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Clan warring area, Drama, F/M, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 17:34:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 192,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6161190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuillQ/pseuds/QuillQ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waking up alone in a deep forest made her believe she had died. Naruto had done a lot of crazy things in her short life, like challenging the Kyūbi and fought against the powers of a God. But this just might be the most incomprehensible thing she'd ever managed. What do you do when being unwillingly thrown back in time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my story 'Second Wind' which I originally posted on fanfiction.net  
> It takes place in the warren state area and will mainly focus on Naruto (female Naruto) Madara and Hashirama. 
> 
> I have taken a few liberties in this story, and there is some AU going on, but those will be relatively obvious as you read. Mostly I try to keep to canon, but for the sake of the story I took some freedom to change the Naruto universe. Like Naruto being a girl and time travel...
> 
> The reason I write femnaruto is simple. I feel that the original manga was really bad at making any good female characters. 95% came accross as boy crazy who couldn't do anything without them. There was a lot of awesome characters in general, but in my top twenty only one female comes into it, and that's Temari. So yeah, I'm making Naruto a girl.
> 
> There won't be any bashing in this story, except black zetsu who is hated quite a lot, so those of you who sympathize with him really should not read this story. 
> 
> Edited 04.2016: Jaden-the-Jaded has agreed to beta read this story for me, and I'm very grateful for that, so the correction of my poor grammar and fumbling english is all thanks to Jayden. The other chapters will be beta'd eventually too since Jayden is going through them all. Chapters which has been through beta reading will be notified with the words; 'Edited' in the Chapter Notes.

 

** **

 

**Please read this warning before continuing: _This story takes place in the warring state area. Which means there will be character deaths and detailed violence. If this upsets you please do not read 'Second Wind'. There will not only be OCs that'll suffer in this story._**

* * *

 

**Second Wind**

 

* * *

**Prologue – The Hum.**

_The hum is the common name of a series of phenomena involving a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming noise not audible to all people._

* * *

The area was barren of living things. The animals had fled days ago because of the menacing and monstrous presence they'd all felt.

Deep into what would one day be named Kumogakure, climbed a blond girl clothed in a travelling cloak over a light, grey haori wrapped closely about her to shelter from the howling wind. Underneath she had on plain dark pants that reached to her shins with a plain shirt.

She was a ninja: a young kunoichi who was far from home without friends and had been so for years. Never had Naruto been as isolated as she was these days, not having talked to a single human being in over two months while she searched the five great countries for her first target.

She did have one companion, but he wasn't one for compassion and he was not a human so he couldn't grasp how solitude affected a person, or what hunger felt like.

So in a sense Naruto was all alone, fighting through the everyday trivial things to survive. It had been difficult these past few days since the animals had ran away, and only nuts and whatever edible plant she could gather kept her stomach from being empty. Even though Naruto was still hungry, today she had forgotten all about it - she was too excited to remember.

At the top of the mountain Naruto was currently climbing she would find the demon fox. She could feel it with every inch of her body. The creature of legend who came from the ten tails along with his siblings: a legend every human wished had just been a story.

Had there been anyone to see her they would have assumed she was both mad and suicidal, heading towards a certain death.

It would be painful too.

No one dared cross the Kyūbi. It was known for being merciless, hateful and for enjoying others' suffering. The demon fox was so incredibly powerful that people believed its presence meant their own unavoidable doom. The Kyūbi had slaughtered many towns; burned them to the ground with children, women and men still inside. He laughed at their screams and relished in their agony. He hated their existence: those talking, blubbering monkeys, who kept challenging his superiority and magnificence. He cursed their existence the same way they cursed his.

As the girl came closer, the Kyūbi began to feel her presence. The nine tailed creature had felt her long ago when she had first come to this land. Her lack of trepidation had infuriated him at first. That is until he felt the second presence, and for the first time in thousands of years he had been struck dumb, completely speechless.

This would not be the only instance in which she shocked him this night. Not by a mile.

* * *

_**Land of Fire.** _

"Who the hell are you?" Asked a young boy as he studied the newcomer who had interrupted his attempt at skipping the small rock across the creek.

The newcomer had a ridiculous haircut. Who on earth thought such a straight cut hairdo was cool anyway? It looked like a brown and floppy fish bowl. And the clothes: the light pants were so large it made his shins look incredibly skinny. Not to mention the huge scarf around his neck. Did he belong to a travelling theatre or something? With clowns? The styles were sort of similar.

The creek ran through a clearing in the surrounding forest. It was a peaceful place, untouched by both battles and people. The stream led all the way from the ninja village higher up in the terrain to this creek, before joining the ocean miles away. The daylight made the water surface shimmer cheerily, and the green grass dance in the lazy breeze. It was easy to forget the despairing world they usually found themselves in.

"Hmm...Right now, you could say I'm your rival at rock skipping. But I've already gotten mine to the other side." The brown haired boy stated teasingly.

_'What sort of answer is that? He's insulting me damn it!'_ the first boy thought angrily. He had been struggling to skip stones across the river for the last half an hour. "You never answered my question! Who the hell are you?!" He demanded, getting agitated at the weird stranger.

"You can call me Hashirama," the brown haired boy said with a grin, "probably best if I don't tell you my last name..."

_'He must be a civilian,'_ Hashirama thought as he studied the black haired stranger. He had black eyes and fair skin, which reminded him of some of the civilians from Karonichi Village. He also wore a dark, lilac haori and white shorts, not uncommon amongst civilians. Though spikier, the other boy's hair was reminiscent of his younger brother, Tobirama. He also looked shorter than himself, even though Hashirama suspected they were about the same age.

"Hashirama, take a close look! 'Cuz this time it'll reach!" the spiky haired boy proclaimed and twisted his torso around towards the river while skillfully throwing the rock with strength and precision.

Hashirama recognised that the precision was better used for shuriken throwing than stone skipping. This boy had shinobi training, just like him. But he had to be from another clan than the Senju. Instantly Hashirama felt grateful he hadn't told the boy his clan name. If the stranger was an Uchiha or Hagaromo, he'd be in serious problems.

The stone skipped once, twice, three times before with a loud plop, sank into the water a metre away from the opposite shore.

Silence hung between them while the thrower looked disbelieving at his failed attempt. Whirling back around towards Hashirama with annoyance, the boy started shouting at him.

"Asshole! You stood behind me on purpose, didn't you?! It's so obvious you're trying to distract me! I can't even take a leak if someone is standing near me! That's how aware of my surroundings I am!" He shouted while gesturing wildly.

Hashirama looked crest fallen at being accused of sabotaging his new acquaintance. As the boy finished his ranting, Hashirama suddenly bent down with his hands around his knees, and his head lowered towards his thigh: a deep depression loomed around him.

The other boy was startled at this abrupt change of mood, confused as to how someone could go through such a rapid change of emotions.

"Forgive me."

The spiky haired pre-teen couldn't help the upwards twitch of his lip as he looked down at Hashirama. It was ridiculous that the other boy had taken his shouting that seriously, he sure had to be a touchy guy if he let something like that to get to him.

"Uh...Relax… No need to get emotional and stuff. I mean… I kinda have this bad habit of making excuses when I..." He started to explain to cheer up the strange boy he was starting to find very amusing.

Hashirama however didn't let him finish as he looked up and interrupted.

"You don't need to explain. Your ego is just so big you have a God complex."

The boy instantly got angry again, and pointed accusingly at Hashirama. "Why you… I can't tell if you're hypersensitive or a smart ass!"

As suddenly as the boy had knelt down, he rose to his feet and burst out laughing. "Gya Haha! One thing you should be able to tell is… You are no match for me when it comes to stone skipping!" Exclaimed Hashirama between his laughter while the other young ninja got more and more mad.

"Keep gloating and we'll see how well you skip across this creek!"

And it happened again.

One moment he was laughing and the next Hashirama knelt down with his hands around his feet. The bad mood almost tangible in the air.

"Forgive me…" He repeated in a small voice. "I've clearly upset you… To atone for my sin, you have my permission to use me as a rock and skip me across the creek... "

Looking incredulously down at Hashirama's teary eyes, the stranger wondered if the other boy was entirely stable.

"Jeez… No reason to cry about it!"

Hashirama got a funny look as he peeked up from between his knees. "I just hope… I won't drown before I reach the other shore."

* * *

_**Land of Lightning** _

The Kyūbi had let her climb up. He could now feel what was inside her. Even if it confused him greatly since it didn't make any sense.

He could always feel what his victims and enemies felt, but this was different: there was a second presence inside the girl. Normally he felt the desperation, hate and agony. The demon fox felt it constantly. Even when they didn't feel him, he could easily tell when a stray human walked into his turf.

It was always the same. The moment they noticed him they were filled with dread and terror. Though it hadn't always been like that.

The Kyubi remembered a time of peace where the people had loved him and he had loved them in return, especially his own father who once had been more or less human.

He had been under the misconception that humans had some form of intelligence and compassion. He knew a lot better now.

After his father died, things took a turn for the worst for the Kyubi and his eight other sibling. The talking monkeys had started fearing them at first. Their fright had then turned to greed and anger. They tried to control the biju by taking away their will and freedom. Cage them like animals, calling them according to the number of tails and attacking them.

This betrayal had at first devastated the Kyūbi. Mostly because they were stomping on his father's legacy, disrespecting and mocking his wisdom by convincing themselves that the biju was nothing more than tools of war and power. Something to control and submit to their weak, idiotic will. The Kyūbi had eventually started enjoying watching them fail.

Lying silently on the mountain top, the nine tails was therefore astounded to realise there still was maybe one - and only one - talking monkey who might understand a little. Who knew some of it, and came to him not with the intention of capturing his power, but with love and compassion.

Love like he had only felt from his own father and a selected few of his siblings.

This confusing girl made him uneasy but curious enough not to lean over the side of the mountain and swat her away - at least not before he made sense of what the hell she was.

He raised his head as the girl lifted herself over the cliff side, breathing heavily while sweat rolled down her forehead. Completely unaware of the immobilizing killing intent aimed at her, the girl seemed to be used to it.

* * *

_**Land of Fire** _

The spiky haired youth lost his temper for the third time in under five minutes. "Man you are pissin' me off! Leave now!" He all but roared, a small amount of spit escaping his mouth as he pointed at Hashirama.

With a sad look Hashirama got to his feet, looking more like a kicked puppy as he mournfully peeked over at the other boy. With a last loud sigh he slowly turned to walk away with slumped shoulders and that infuriating depressed look on his face. "If you say so..."

Gapping with annoyance at Hashirama's submissive nature, the unnamed youth grabbed his shoulder, and halted the brown haired boy in his tracks. "Hold on!" He exclaimed.

He wanted Hashirama to have some spine, and find out if he actually was mentally unstable or just playing mind games with him. He hated being confused, it was something his father had known since he had been three months old and refused to give back the shuriken he'd gotten a hold off.

From what he had been told later, he had not cried when it had cut his hand, he'd simply tried to figure out which part was safe to touch and what was to be avoided. This was a similar dilemma, he wanted to figure out what made this boy so unpredictable, which emotional button would make him 'cut', or more accurately sulk like a baby.

"You want me to leave or not?" Asked Hashirama looking over his shoulder with a moping expression. "Stop being so indecisive..." He muttered while looking at the boy who seemed at loss for a reply.

He had just told him to get lost hadn't he? Trying fruitlessly to come up with an explanation, something odd reached the corner of his eye, something that hadn't been there a moment before. It was just then they both noticed the body floating calmly down the river towards them. The person wasn't moving at all, it lay deadly still on the surface of the calm, sunlit water.

* * *

_**Land of Lightning** _

The Kyūbi didn't speak to the girl in front of him, only took in her strange appearance. Golden hair bound into a ponytail, he knew for a fact that not many talking monkeys had this hair colour. It was usually dark or brown, and those he had seen with light hair had never had this specific shade of yellow.

Another thing he found strange was that even though she was fair haired, her skin was at the same time tanned; he had never actually seen a pale monkey with blond hair with such sun kissed colouring. Their skin always seemed fragile to the burning star, so they had to cover it up weak as they all were. The exception was the dark talking monkeys who dealt with the sun better. From experience however, the nine tails knew their skin was as easily cut through as the pale faces.

Her clothes where dirty and ripped from her journey, but she didn't seem to mind. The demon fox also decided she was shorter than any warrior who had faced him before, and probably just at the end of her childhood.

What held his gaze however was her eyes. They were sharp and very expressive, framed like the eyes of a cat. Clear as a cloudless sky in daytime, and staring back into his own red gaze unblinking.

Words said the day he was born came back to him, some of his father's last spoken sentences. A mischievous, blue eyed youth.

The girl took a couple of steps towards him with a relieved smile. He rose alarmingly to his feet, standing fifty metres above the blonde and snarled viscously.

* * *

_**Land of Fire** _

It looked like Hashirama could turn serious as quickly as he could become depressed. His eyes was fixed on the floating body drifting past them with a stern expression, turning into a completely different person.

Gathering chakra underneath his feet, he ran away from his new sort-of friend, over the surface of the water of the slow running river to check out who the dead man could be. He prayed to the sage of the six path that it wasn't someone he knew.

The other boy was left at the shore with a startled expression on his face as he watched Hashirama run over the water surface.

"You are... a shinobi." He muttered realising he had been arguing with a possible enemy, and not some harmless civilian as he had assumed. Hashirama didn't reply as he moved the corpse over on his back to check who it possibly could be.

The corpse had the symbol of the Hagaromo clan on his armour.

"So the war has finally reached these lands. It's best if you head home." He said, voice filled with sadness and trepidation as he looked down at the dead man. "I should probably leave as well."

Standing up, he jumped from the middle of the creek to the other side of the shore in one leap, not a jump even a fully grown civilian man could have managed. Hashirama was definitely a shinobi.

"Later… um..." Hashirama said and looked back at the boy on the other side. He had a small smile as he studied Hashirama, trying to figure out which clan he belonged to, hoping it wasn't the Senju.

"I'm Madara. Not giving your surname to a stranger is basic code of conduct for shinobi," Madara answered and tilted his head an inch. Hashirama nodded now that his suspicion had been confirmed.

"Heh… I figured you were one as well." He stated and turned to leave at the same moment Madara did. Walking away they both had the same feeling; their personalities clashed, but for some reason there was a kinship between them, a feeling that they could relate to each other.

Maybe that was why the other had come to the creek in the first place.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is self explanatory, but I do not own Naruto.  
> Thank you so much for taking the time reading this prologue! The next chapter will be longer then this one.  
> 


	2. Green Flash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 04.16: This chapter has been beta'd by the great Jayden-the-Jaded on fanfiction.net

**Chapter one – Green Flash**

_Green flash, also known as the Green Ray, occurs very briefly before total sunset and after sunrise. It appears as a flash above the sun that lasts very briefly, generally only a few moments._

* * *

"Kurama."

The girl spoke his name heavily. As if she knew anything of his pain.

The demon froze, his eyes boring into her in denial and fury. _"What did you call me?_  How dare you speak that name in front of _me,_ you despicable monkey! How do you know that name?" He roared back, but refrained from attacking — barely — there were still some things he wanted to know before he devoured her.

"That's a very long tale Kurama, but in short, I was first told your name by Son Gokū." She replied, and to rub salt into the Kyūbi's already irritated mental wound, she had the audacity to sit down as if she didn't have a care in the world—like she wasn't seconds away from getting her blonde head separated from her body.

The demon growled as he repeated the name. "Son Gokū? Yonbi?" He snarled and took a giant step towards her, his teeth gritting threateningly. "What did that yelping gorilla go telling that sort of stuff to a worthless human such as you?"

He wanted to know why his name had come up. How had the girl met his brother? Why on earth was she still alive? She seemed even weaker than most humans. Maybe it involved that presence he felt? Maybe Son Gokū had noticed it too, and the girl used it to get away? Yes, that had to be the case. Most likely.

A small smile appeared on her features; she seemed lost in thought, far away from her current plight.

"I might not look like much to you right now." She stated as her eyes focused on him again. She opened her cloak and lifted the haori underneath to reveal her stomach: a seal was etched into her skin, pitch black and glowing ever so faintly. As if something was on the inside, pushing out towards the seal.

"I'm older than I look. Just like you I've been alone for years already, most of them used in what until two days ago seemed like an endless search of you. I was so relieved to finally feel your chakra and find you again," Continued the girl, paying no attention to the rapidly growing killing intent from the enormous fox. "Also, you are underestimating me and my partner. You must have noticed it by now, right?"

The Kyūbi stared darkly down at her. Just as he was about to curse her for stealing his chakra, the girl was suddenly aflame. The flames themselves were bright yellow and made of pure chakra. The flames surrounding her grew, becoming the transparent head of a fox, much larger than the girl herself. The chakra had a presence of its own—an extremely familiar will the Kyubi would have recognised in his sleep.

"I am not from this time, dattebayo! I've got no one else left. There's only you and me, Kurama. I came here to tell you what will happen if history is allowed to repeat itself. I want to help you too, and I also want to hear your advice."

* * *

Naruto stumbled in zigzags through the forest; she was just too tired to walk a straight path.

Coming to a stop, she sat down on a fallen tree that looked like it had been caught in the crossfire of a fire jutsu. The burned bark left black sooth marks on her pants when she sat down, but Naruto couldn't muster up the energy to care; she was going to have to wash it at some point soon anyway. It was a long overdue task. Maybe if she could just find a river somewhere soon, it had been a couple of days since she last found a stream to fill her water containers.

By this point sitting in solitude had become the norm. After years of travelling alone she had at last accepted this was now her life. It still left her with an uneasy knot in her stomach and a tightness in her throat, but Naruto still couldn't forget how this had become her life. How desperate she was for some human contact. It felt like it had been years since she'd said anything other than technique titles.

When she talked to Kurama it was all internal, not an outwards reaction and she was tired of the lack of a kind face. Naruto had made a few friends here and there in the last few years, but they were all temporary companions. Friendly wanderers like herself who felt pity or compassion for such a young lost girl and chose to chat for a little while before going off again.

They all eventually went their own way, while Naruto kept searching. This was the mission she had set for herself—to not rest until she found black Zetsu and wrung his neck so his head and shoulders separated, hopefully painfully. Then she'd throw it sixty times to the infested moon and back, before she sealed the pest into hell.

She just had to find him and figure out how to do that without Sasuke's yin abilities.

The thought of Sasuke turned her mood from agitatedly frustrated to sad again, and the old longing for her lost friends reemerged. Seven years ago she had woken up confused and lost, only to find herself alone in a forest. Most areas felt like a gigantic forest these days so that wasn't so strange; it would have been a miracle if she'd came through somewhere populated.

She had been injured and scared out of her mind about what had happened and where everyone had gone. When she'd finally composed herself, it was only to lose it again the next day when she saw her own reflection in the river. Naruto had been thirsty and looking for water when she came across the still surface of a lake and drank from it. Naruto had screamed at her own reflection: she had been small, so very small.

The first day in this place, _this time,_ she'd thought her weakness was due to injuries, that the forest was just an abnormally tall one for the trees to seem so overwhelming. But staring at the childish face in the water, she'd been close to having a full out panic attack.

The girl looking back with a horrified expression couldn't be older than six. It was how she had looked when Naruto herself had been six. Her hair was long, reaching all the way to her knees—something Naruto had noticed already, but it now made more sense. She'd shrunken, but her hair for some reason had stayed the same length. The first thing she'd done was cut it with her kunai while she was still panicking. With the end result being her resembling a small troll. Short spiky hair that later would make people mistake her for a boy if they didn't look properly.

Naruto instantly regretted it.

After that she'd wandered aimlessly, at a loss as to what had happened to her and feeling very lost. After getting her mind straight again she tried to find someone who could tell her the direction to Konoha, or where she was. If she was even in Fire Country, and if not, ask for the direction there instead.

Having being reduced to the body of a pre-academy kid, she also got tired much faster. She had to train herself up again. The whole process had taken years to become somewhat decent, and only in the last three years had she gotten some proper chakra control back.

Kurama had tried the best he could to help, but the fox had never been known for his empathy. Most of the time he told her to get a grip and to make the best out of the situation. He was as clueless to what had happened as she was.

A couple of weeks later she had found a village named Itanika, and Naruto had actually cried in relief when she saw the houses. With renewed energy she'd asked entrance through the gates. The samurai stationed there had seemed reluctant but after a few questions, which she didn't understand at all, they seemed to think her harmless and let her enter.

She'd been taken aback by the people, they were all wearing odd clothes. Old fashioned.

Kurama had gone silent when she'd first spotted the village, and Naruto wondered if he'd heard of this place before. Few people took notice of her. There was plenty of street children, but her blond hair and tanned skin made her stick out like a sore thumb amongst the dark haired crowd. It seemed they didn't think much of her attire either. Which was still her oversized jumpsuit tied in the best she could manage. Her pants had been folded up seven times so she wouldn't trip, and the same went for the sleeves of her jacket.

She had asked around for the direction to Konoha, but no one seemed to have heard of it. When she'd asked which country they were in, they had looked concernedly down at her. And with understanding and sympathetic smiles they told her that she was in Fire Country, but that she shouldn't go outside the village since there was many dangerous ninjas running through the forest right now. Especially the Uchiha clan who lived very close by.

Naruto had been speechless as the old kind man had told her this.

Uchiha _clan?_ Wasn't there only Sasuke left of them now? Was one person enough to make a whole clan?

She had then heard the whispers going around the village. The Uchiha clan was at war with the Senju, and the Uchiha had been robbed a few months ago. They had lost all their provisions, plus a handful of their warriors and were becoming unfriendly to Itanika village who couldn't offer them more food. But Itanika was a civilian village that needed to keep warm and feed themselves through the winter as well.

This had been the time Kurama had started talking again, and he had sounded as shocked as Naruto felt.

_'How the hell can this be? We've travelled back in time. This is Fire Country during the clan warring_ _era_ _. I remember this village. It was destroyed early in the war.'_ He told her while Naruto tried to get a grasp of the situation she was now in.

Naruto had crumbled where she stood when the realization hit her. She was truly alone, and none of her friends would ever find her now. A young woman with a child on her hip had eventually taken pity on her, and kindly escorted her to the orphanage while Naruto still tried to get a grip of her situation. It had been on autopilot she'd followed at all, and not knowing where else she could go the newly turned six year old stayed.

Konoha didn't exist, and none of the other hidden villages did either. Only clans could get work as ninjas in these times, and she got desperate at the thought of having to living as a civilian for the rest of her life.

Naruto didn't get to stay very long though. After only two nights at the orphanage, which was more like a two story house with futons placed on the floor and meals had to be found on their own, the village was attacked. The civilians fear that the Uchiha would attack Itanika had come true, but the village was not unprotected. They had hired samurai and a few members of the Hogorama clan to fight against the Uchiha.

When Naruto peeked out the second story window the night of the attack, it was only to be met with explosions. Ninjas with the Uchiha crest sown into their garments were attacking and killing anyone who stood in their way.

As she watched frozen at the commotion, Naruto noticed the Uchiha ninjas' sunken pale faces and believed they truly were that badly off. That they had been starving, and attacking Itanika looked more like an act of desperation than an organized attack.

The village had gone up in flames within an hour. People had been burned alive and Uchiha and Samurai alike fell to their deaths. The samurai never truly stood a chance, but the Uchiha looked far from healthy, and some fell to the ninjas of the Hogorama clan. In the end the clear winner would be the Sharingan wielders.

Naruto had done the only thing she could in her weak state and fled for her life. Knowing she stood as much chance against the Uchiha as a fresh academy student in her current state.

After two days of waiting in the surrounding area, Naruto went back to Itanika to look through the wreckage of the village. She snuck around the Uchiha soldiers and stole everything she could get her hands on. It was the only way she could think of to get clothes that fit her and things needed to survive in the wild without any money. In the rubble, she'd found a surprisingly decent blanket with only a small burn mark on the edge, a haori a little too large for her, a rope and a backpack to stuff all the things she'd fliched in. After that she'd almost gotten caught, and pelted away as soon as possible.

That was the first of many encounters Naruto would experience with the clan wars. She doubted she would have survived that first winter without Kurama there constantly to heal her when she got sick.

After a few days she'd calmed down enough to start thinking rationally again. Alone in the woods yet again, she started coming up with a plan of action—something to live for again.

_'Okay Naruto_ _,'_ she had thought to herself, _'you've gone_ _back in time. No one knows you, no one misses you and you can do whatever you want. You can stay hidden and let the future go as it did before, or you can do something about it. You can find the past Kurama before he is captured by Madara, and maybe together_ _you_ _could hunt down black Zetsu and seal him away before he can screw up the world again.'_

It was a very optimistic plan, but Naruto had never let the odds being stacked against her deteriorate her spirit.

Kurama had only been relieved she'd finally snapped out of her depression.

It had taken years of hard work to find Kurama; for a fox four times the size of a family house, he sure knew how to hide when he wanted to. Most of her time outside of scouting had been spent on training and getting information about what happened around the world. She'd gone through all the five great nations three times before she caught his trail in Kumogakure. By then she almost didn't recognize herself. No longer was she the naive girl in a child's body: she was now a grown woman in the body of a thirteen year old teenager and finally starting to catch up to her old level of strength.

At the top of the mountain where she'd finally found the demon fox, she'd told the past Kurama everything—with the help of the future Kurama who made many appearances through her seal. For a week they had sat making plans, only interrupted by food searches. In the end, the past Kurama had agreed to receive the future Kurama's memories so he could make up his mind on whether to help her. After allowing this, he became much more cooperative; so much so that in the end he decided to come with her. Or more like forced her to become his jinchuriki, it wasn't like he asked nicely either.

She now had two different versions of Kurama inside her. They could merge with one another, but the balance was off, so they would sometimes split up again within the seal, bickering at Naruto when they got bored. Kurama didn't like the overload of yin chakra that happened when they became one.

After a month of walking back to Fire Country, taking wide detours to avoid the many battles and stronger clans, they had arrived back to Itanika village. Except it was now called Itanika prison after the Uchiha had reused the old site for the habitation of their prisoners of war.

Past Kurama and future Kurama also started becoming eerily similar. Her Kurama being infected by the other's hate, and the past Kurama being affected by the other's new-found compassion. In a way they had become something in the middle. Both were her partner, but a much more stubborn one than the Kurama she'd arrived to the past with.

It was in this way she'd gotten to the point she was now. Sitting on a burned tree trunk in the middle of the woods at night. Wondering what the hell she was supposed to do next, where to look or go to find the black devil named Zetsu. Her current location was a day's walk from Itanika village.

As she sat in deep thought, Naruto suddenly felt something off—a disturbance not far away that made her uneasy. After a minute she decided to hide just in case whatever going on was something she would regret getting involved with later.

Naruto found some closely growing trees to hide between. It by no means gave much shelter, but at least they might not see her if they crossed from the direction she thought they would.

At first Naruto started thinking she was becoming paranoid, maybe it had been Kurama grumbling about not having stretched his legs in three weeks. Then she heard fast footsteps, someone pelting through the forest. Metal clinking against each other in tempo with the speed of his or her feet. Like an armour.

Naruto peeked carefully out between the branches.

A little boy clad in a badly put together armour was fleeing. He looked absolutely terrified as he fought his way through the bushes and tall grass.

How old was he? Five? Six at most.

She half rose where she hid to call out to him, to tell him to come to her—that she would protect him, but slumped back into a crouch as the pursuing footsteps came into view. Eyes wide with horror, she saw five grown men come running after the boy—their intent horrifyingly clear. She watched as they ran out of sight between the trees, their shouts and taunts making her nauseous.

Who could do that? What was this insanity?

_'This is how you humans are, Naruto. Hate and revenge is all they are good at. Greed and glory all they want.'_ The voice came from Kurama, his bitterness seeping through again.

_'I'll stop it, dattebayo!'_ She told him in defiance.

Getting to her feet she stormed after them, but instead of following on the ground, she took to the branches. For ten minutes she followed the distant sounds before she caught up to them. They luckily hadn't noticed her. The five men were surrounding the boy who had been backed up against a large boulder.

Their swords and kunai were drawn, pointing towards the sobbing child cowering in fear.

The sight broke her heart. A sudden wild hate burned inside her as she saw the symbol embroidered on their clothes. Uchiha. Why did it always have to be the fucking Uchiha?

One of the men took a firm hold of the boy's shoulder, trapping him in place as a second brown haired shinobi raised his sword, intent on striking him in the chest. The boy howled in panic.

Naruto was on the attacker in the blink of an eye. Striking him in the head as she jumped from the branch onto his shoulders, she landed very hard, knocking him unconscious. He fell like a sack of shuriken. She leapt towards the man holding down the boy, and struck him in the neck.

The other three however had realised someone had come to save the boy, and Naruto twitched in pain as a shuriken sank into her back. Turning towards the three shinobi, she stood as tall as her small body could manage, a shield between them and the boy who had turned mute.

"Lay a finger on him and you will regret it!" She snarled at them. As she spoke her clear blue eyes turned scarlet red, her pupils becoming slits, like those of a snake and the killing intent radiating from her made them all stagger.

"Wha-Who-You brat! I'll cut you up!" Shouted the man to the left. He came hurling towards her, his chokutō raised high to sink through her skull. Quicker than any of them could move, she had grabbed the boy and leapt sideways over the unconscious man on the ground. Dropping him unceremoniously on the ground, she put her hands into a cross formation.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" She shouted and thirty clones popped into existence in a long row. A shield of clones that separated the three remaining shinobi from themselves.

"Is that a genjutsu?" asked one of them bewildered, even though his Sharingan was activated and should have seen through such a thing. The problem was that he had never seen a jutsu like that in his life.

"You'll find out." Naruto answered with a dark sneer.

Twenty of the clones ran at them, and the Uchiha realised that in fact, they were not a genjutsu at all.

As the first one reached the foremost Uchiha shinobi, it dodged his kick and sank a kunai into his outstretched thigh. He shouted in pain and stumbled to the ground.

Five of the remaining clones used the henge, and turned into the boy behind her. Five of the clones still looking like Naruto took a hold of a clone version of the boy each, and ran off in different directions.

The real Naruto did the same with the wide eyed child behind her and took off into the trees while her remaining fourteen clones distracted the Uchiha shinobi.

The only reason she stopped after five minutes was to get the boy to climb up on her back. Afterwards she ran for two hours straight. The Uchiha had dispelled her clones in the matter of five minutes, but by then they had been completely lost as to which had been the real ones, and the Uchiha who had taken off in pursuit had realised it was clones he had caught up with when they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Coming to a halt, she sat the boy down on the ground and plopped down on her behind, panting heavily.

Thank god she had the kage bunshin.

She was nowhere near strong enough to go up against shinobi like that. Not yet. The boy had been silent the whole journey but now stood next to her with a worshipping expression.

"Are you okay?" he asked uncertainly looking at her bloodied clothes, "You still have that shuriken in your back."

"Oh! Right! Could you pull it out, please?" Naruto asked sheepishly, trying to calm down her breathing. She had actually completely forgotten about the pain during their flight.

"Eh… Sure!" He replied and walked behind her. Looking at her for permission to take it out, she nodded back with a weak smile. Taking a hold of the sharp metal edge sticking out of the fabric, he yanked it out with one quick pull. Groaning loudly she leaned forwards. It had gone in been deep, and it hadn't helped that the boy had been pressing it further in while he had been transported on her back.

He started fussing, asking if she needed anything. Reaching into his pocket, he took out some bandages. "I can wrap it! Here, I have some bandage that could stop the bleeding."

"Thank you. That won't be necessary though, I heal very fast you see. I'll be as good as new by the morning." She answered, grinning back over her shoulder. It ached like a bitch, but she'd had far worse than a shuriken wound in her past.

"Really?" He asked surprised.

Smiling mysteriously at him, she pulled out a kunai from her pocket and cut a small wound in the palm of her hand so a drop of blood appeared. "Watch," she stated and held her hand up for him to see clearly. The boy's eyes grew wide as her wound visibly closed as he looked on.

"That. Is. So. Cool," he exclaimed with renewed awe latched into every syllable.

Naruto laughed and shook her head. "What's your name, kid?" She asked while putting away her kunai.

"My name is Itama! My dad says I shouldn't tell strangers my last name though," He muttered reluctantly. Naruto giggled and pointed to the symbol on his armour.

"I already know you're a Senju, kid. And I don't care. Since I know who you are I'll let you know who I am as well. My name is Namikaze Naruto, nice to meet you Itama." She stated and reached out her hand. He took her hand and shook it while looking curiously at her.

"I'm really glad I met you Naruto. Really! I owe you my life, Thank you for saving me." He proclaimed and bowed so low his nose almost touched the ground.

Naruto looked uncomfortably back at the boy. "Eh, no need Itama. I had to interfere, I couldn't live with myself if I watched a child getting killed right in front of me without doing something." She explained and raised her right arm behind her head, roughing up her hair in embarrassment.

"You're awesome!" he exclaimed, "Just like older brother! What was that technique? There was so many of you! I thought it was a genjutsu at first, but you stabbed Uchiha Hikaku in the leg, so it couldn't have been!"

Sitting down next to her he waited expectantly for her to answer. "Oh that is the kage bunshin technique, haven't you heard of it? It allows me to create solid clones identical to myself." Naruto explained getting nervous. Hoping desperately that the kage bunshin had already been invented. Kurama then made his presence known from inside of her.

_'Idiot, the kage bunshin was created by Senju Tobirama, he told you himself remember? The brat is most likely still a kid right now._ _Of_ _course it hasn't been invented yet. Congratulation, you just got the credit for the kage bunshin.'_ He said sarcastically.

_'Oh shit…'_ Naruto thought and gulped audibly.

"No, I haven't heard of it before at all! Where did you learn it? Was it your clan? I've never heard of the Namikaze clan before. You must be from somewhere far away." He said, sounding more and more like a fan boy then the terrified kid she had witnessed a couple of hours ago.

Naruto was glad she could distract him. "Namikaze isn't a clan Itama, it was just my father's name. He was a shinobi but I've never met him. My parents are dead and I survive on my own. I learned the technique once when I stole a secret scroll from the village leader in my old village. I did it on a dare. Completely idiotic of me of course, but I have never been one for planning ahead. He found out of course, and I was caught only a few hours later. Luckily for us two I had already learned the kage bunshin by the time I was discovered." Naruto explained while reminiscing back to her past, or was it the future?

"You are so cool." sighed the boy, seemingly finding nothing wrong with stealing scrolls from village leaders.

"Don't go doing that sort of thing though, Itama. I was very lucky I wasn't aware that the scroll was so dangerous. I could have been labelled a traitor if things had gone wrong, or they hadn't found me in time." She lectured, but ruining the effect by grinning since she finally took notice of his appearance.

He had the most peculiar hair she had ever seen in her life, and that included Sasuke's duck-butt hair. One side was dark, thick and flat. It was short and completely the opposite of the other half of his hair on the left side. There it was still short, but spiky and light grey, similar to her old sensei's hair. The greenish armour seemed stitched together and battle worn. Itama was clearly not the only one who'd used it, or if not then he must have been in a lot of battles for it to get this tired.

"What happened back there Itama? Why did the Uchiha try to..." She trailed off, not sure how to ask what the boy had done to deserve being killed.

"You don't know about the war?" He asked surprised.

"You mean the one between Uchiha and Senju? Sure, but why were they chasing you? You're just a boy." She asked genuinely confused.

Naruto felt his spirit, it was energetic and kind. Of course she knew that appearance could deceive, but he felt nothing at all like the twisted minds of killers she had met in the past.

"I'm a shinobi of the Senju!" He answered proudly.

"Eh..?" She looked confused at his reply for a moment, but then Kurama was back in her mind again.

_'He's telling you he's a warrior, brat. In this era children are used as soldiers just as much as the seasoned ones. The average lifespan these days are thirty years for ninjas.'_

"B-But you can't be more than five years old! Who would send out children so young to fight grown ninja? Or to fight in a war at all!?" She exclaimed in horror.

"I'll turn six in two days!" He replied, as if that made matters better.

"You wouldn't have seen your birthday at all if I hadn't shown up, Itama! This is madness. Why are your parents doing this to you? Why are you doing this? Why do you continue this circle of hatred?" She said, getting more and more upset at the thought of children being forced to kill before they'd even learned the alphabet.

Itama was surprised at her reply, for a moment she reminded him so much of his oldest brother Hashirama.

He still remembered his words clearly after Kawarama's funeral, when he in sorrow had said that their brother had died a pointless death, as nothing more than a tool. That parents were sending their children to be slaughtered and that it was madness. Half-heartedly Itama stuck by his father's words. Who had told all of them that Kawarama had died a true shinobi with honour, and that the greatest love a parent could give his child was to make them strong enough to survive on the battle field.

Looking into Naruto's upset eyes however, he wasn't so sure any more. Maybe Hashirama had a point, and it also looked like he wasn't the only optimist around either.

"What can we do? I don't like it. None of us do. But if we don't fight they'll kill us." He said sadly and found himself feeling shamed at his own helplessness.

Naruto combed his hair with her fingers and Itama felt her warm and soothing chakra through her hand. She was the most comforting presence he'd ever met, and he had to fight the urge not to start crying. Naruto seemed to understand and changed topic.

"We need to find shelter. I had travelled for a long while before I ran into you. I really need to sleep, and if you have any idea where there is water I would be very grateful. I'm scared the Uchiha will pursue us." She said with furrowed brows, looking back in the direction they had come from.

"Oh! Here, I've got some water." He said and fished up a water container from the large bag tied to his belt. Naruto thanked him and drank greedily. Feeling great relief as her dry, sore throat finally got some moisture.

"You should have killed them though. Then we wouldn't have to be afraid." He explained as the girl drank up every drop of water in his container.

She choked a little, and sent him a nasty look. "I don't kill unless I absolutely have no other choice Itama. I'm not gonna' tell you how to live your life, but while you're with me you only fight to defend." She said sternly. 

Itama covered in the wake of her sudden anger, his voice weaker when he spoke. "A-alright Naruto-san,"

"Good, come on, Itama. If we don't find anywhere soon I'll fall asleep on my feet. We'll find somewhere out of the way, alright?" She said more kindly.

Nodding while getting to his feet he followed after his curious blonde saviour.

* * *

"Yo!" Madara greeted as he walked up behind the boy he'd met by river weeks before, and was now reuniting with, "Long time no see...Um..." He sat silently on his own, close to the river shore. He seemed uncharacteristically stiff and didn't react to his greeting. 'Was something wrong?' He thought and was about to address him again when the boy with the funny haircut answered.

"It's Hashirama."

Madara put his hands on his hips, looking down at the boy -Hashirama- with one eyebrow arched. "Man, sulking before I even show up. What's up?" He asked it because it was polite — not because he was actually curious.

Hashirama continued to not acknowledge him, he just kept looking over the water. His voice sounded raw as he spoke again. "Mind if I ask you some- Never mind..."

His interest peeked, Madara came closer and started insisting. "No need to be shy, I'm all ears."

"Don't worry about-"

"Come on… Just spit it out already."

"Really… It's nothing..."

"We'll be here all day if you keep refusing, you might as well-"

"Don't worry about it..."

Hashirama finally turned his head around, and Madara felt himself get a little pissed off at the boy's lies- he was really bad at it. Barely composed and tears streaming down his face Hashirama continued. "It really is nothing..."

Pointing at Hashirama and feeling his anger rise he exclaimed. "Damn you! I'm trying to be considerate and understanding here! So hurry up and spill your guts!"

Hashirama only turned his head back towards the water and seemed hesitant to answer. Realising that whatever was coming was bad, Madara got a grip on himself.

"My little brother… disappeared, probably killed..." He muttered, his voice breaking with a hick in the middle of the sentence. "I always come here when I feel like this… All these emotions bottled up inside me… I feel like the current can wash them all away." He whispered.

Madara felt his heart ache at his words. He knew all too well what it was like to lose your brother. He'd experienced it several times already.

"Madara, right?" Asked Hashirama to confirm that he had his name correct. It was a long time since their previous and first meeting here in the exact same place. "It's the same for you isn't it?"

Madara didn't answer, his eyes just followed the water; he understood what he meant by the water washing away his emotions. It was so calm here. So beautiful and untouched by battles, only the water to remind him of the surrounding time continuing. "Do you have… any siblings?" Asked Hashirama, breaking through his thoughts.

"There's five of us." Explained Madara and picked up a stone next to the crybaby. "Or there used to be." He muttered, his face didn't give away any emotions, his father had always drilled that into him. Keep them at bay, always. Hashirama looked at him with compassion.

"That's what it means to be a shinobi. Death is always knocking on our door." Madara continued while determination finally broke through the emotionless facade. "From what I can tell, the only way we can avoid that… Is to be upfront and honest with the other side… Perhaps even, I don't know, form an alliance with them."

He now had Hashirama's full attention. Madara took position and kept talking, telling this stranger things he hadn't even told Izuna, the only brother left to him. "But that's just wishful thinking. We're all too proud… To allow ourselves to be that vulnerable."

Measuring his throw without heeding Hashirama he skipped the stone towards the water. "I mean, who knows, maybe they don't hate you as much as you think..."

Hashirama followed the stone skipping across the water—once… "Do you really think… We'll never be able to be upfront and honest with the other side?" He asked.

Twice, thrice.

Madara smiled with one eyebrow raised as he mentally cheered the stone across the water skipping for the fourth time.

"Beats me… But every time I come here… I hope that someone will find a way..."

The stone hit the opposite shore.

"It looks like… This time I got one over." Said Madara as both boys looked towards the still and small rock. "Now you're not the only one… who got to the other side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I truly appreciate it!
> 
> Reviews are really cool to resieve too. Both good and bad, if you don't like it I'm eager to hear what's wrong. I'm a rookie writer, so constructive criticism is gold.
> 
> I feel like this first chapter is too slow, but please remember it's part of a whole. Right now I'm trying to lay down the foundations. Hopefully it wont be too clumsily done...
> 
> This will be a long story, at least the longest I've ever written by far. I haven't finished the rough version yet, even though I've typed out 160 000 words so far, not sure how many chapter that is, since I have not divided them up properly yet. I decided to start posting before I finished it, just to get over the fright…


	3. sage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 04.2016: This chapter beta'd by the wonderful Jayden-the-Jaded.

**Chapter two – Sage**

_The herb Sage when boiled can have a calming effect, it contains skin healing properties, can help with a cold, fevers and sore throat. It can also have positive effect on memory and concentration. Sage is one of those herbs that looks bland and boring, which is one of the reasons it is greatly underestimated._

* * *

"You know… I'm pretty sure that's poisonous." Said Itama sceptically, pointing down at the nuts and berries Naruto had brought back with her in that awfully ragged backpack of hers.

"Eh? Which one?" Asked Naruto. She'd been eating everything she'd brought plenty of times before.

"These white berries here messes up your stomach." Explained Itama, picking up a pale, rubber textured berry amongst the bucket full of different gatherings.

"WHA-!? Is that the reason why…" She trailed off looking very put out. Itama looked back at her mortified expression.

"Eh… You've never had a reaction? My brother Tobi ate some when he was younger, he was stuck on the toilet for days."

Naruto groaned and slapped her head in frustration.

Itama couldn't stop his laughter as she punishing herself.

For two weeks they had been in the forest, hiding from the Uchiha, and trying to figure out exactly where they'd ran to. The night they escaped, they had slept for a few hours before Naruto woke up from voices nearby in the night.

Terrified, they fled as soon as the Uchiha had walked past their hiding spot. There was only four of them now, but they hadn't given up hope it seemed.

It had led to them getting lost, Itama was raised in the forest but even he had gotten confused as they ran through the remains of the night into the early morning hours. They had decided to stay away for a few days until it was safer to make their way back.

Even if it was dangerous to return, Itama had to get home at some point. He was a little bitter he'd lost his chokutō by the boulder that night, but tried not to voice it around Naruto. He thought it would sound very petty of him to complain about a lost blade when she'd saved his life.

"Should we try to start heading back, Itama? I'm sure they're not that interested in a six year old boy, right?" Naruto asked while they fished through the berries to remove all the white ones.

"Yeah. I think we could go back now." He answered while picking out three berries in one go.

"You don't sound convinced." Answered Naruto with a searching look at the yin yang haired boy.

"I guess there's no point in hiding it… You already know I'm a Senju and you've been nothing but nice to me. They might be interested in killing me because my uncle is the head of the Senju clan." He explained, not looking up at her.

"Oh?" She seemed suddenly interested, which was unusual. Naruto rarely seemed interested in clan politics when he'd tried to explain how their clan operated. "What's his name? Maybe I've heard of him." She said smiling back.

"Senju Souma." He answered, biting his lip as he wondered if he'd just told her too much. Her expression fell and she went back to searching for overlooked white berries.

"Oh… No I haven't heard of him." She answered with a shrug.

"But I still think this is as a good time as any. You think we're close to the Uchiha turf, right? I'm not confident our luck will continue if we stay here much longer. There might be four Uchiha looking for you closer to home, but even I can't take on the whole Uchiha clan and expect to get out of it." Muttered Naruto.

She was bitter about her loss of skills. When she'd been hurled back in time she'd been turned back into a six year old. Seven years later she still worked on getting her old abilities back.

As a growing child she couldn't overdo it, her body had limits even Kurama wouldn't be able to heal if she went too far too soon. Like the biju mode. Apparently her chakra coils weren't developed enough to mix their chakra properly. It had burned like hell when they had tried the year before. Now they trained with small doses of Kurama's chakra instead of full blown out cannons. Her lack of food, shelter and water most of the time didn't help either.

"Also, it looks like there's a storm coming. You probably want to get closer to home before that comes down on us." Naruto added, gazing up at the clear blue sky.

"Why do you think that?" Asked Itama confused, he couldn't spot a cloud anywhere.

"Trust me, I know when a storm is brewing."

* * *

Unfortunately for them both, Naruto had been right.

A day later as they searched for shelter the storm hit. It took them a surprising amount of time finding anywhere suitable for two children to shelter underneath. By that time Itama had already started sneezing, and the following day he'd gotten sick.

Naruto had therefore been stuck carrying the boy while they headed for Senju territory.

On the third day she evaluated that Itama was too sick to be moved around anymore, and put him down in the first cave she came across. It was larger than anything she'd found in the last few months and could fit a full grown man inside.

Naruto had never been the typical nursing type, that had always been Sakura's area of expertise, but she did her best tending to Itama. He wasn't in any danger, she would feel it if it became bad, but he still needed all the rest and warmth he could get.

This was a dangerous problem since they were trying very hard not to be found.

She stayed close to warm him up with body heat, and dared only once a day to light a fire while there was plenty of light outside, all the while praying that the smoke wouldn't be detected.

Naruto also had to gather food and water in the mornings. Leaving Itama defenseless for two whole nerve wrecking hours, before Naruto pelted back with whatever she'd found or caught.

On the fifth day Itama started getting his strength back, and seemed to have broken the fever. Naruto still insisted they wait a little while longer until they set out. She didn't want him to collapse on her again. When he'd asked why they couldn't leave right away she's exclaimed, "I'm not carrying your sorry ass for one more day."

After that he'd only nodded and lied down again and tried not to make eye contact.

The same day as Itama started getting better, Naruto went out later than normal to gather the necessary things for a supper. They were pretty high up in the terrain from what she'd gathered. She had carried Itama uphill for a long while before finding the cave they were currently using.

As Naruto familiarised herself with the new area, she quickly found out there was a lot less trees, and more stone and rocky patches then before. While Itama had been sick Naruto had chosen to search for food by going downhill rather than upwards looking for sufficient prey.

Scouting around the area she concluded that the decision had been the smart thing to do, up here there didn't seem to be anything edible at all. Nor any water either.

Wondering if there might be any larger birds she could shoot down, she decided to try walking a little further up. Maybe she'd catch something more filling for dinner then hares for once.

Walking forward she realised that the rocky field she was situated on was actually a mountain, and that she was reaching the end of the peak since the ground suddenly disappeared a little further ahead. Looking from side to side she had the feeling she was missing something vital.

Was there an enemy around?

Was Itama okay?

She looked back over her shoulder in the direction she knew he'd be. The trees and bushes swayed lazily in the wind and nothing else was moving.

No… There was something else.

Slowly she looked back towards the edge of the mountain and lifted her gaze to the view.

Naruto felt like she was in a dream as she started walking closer. Coming to a stop, she realised that the mountain came to an abrupt stop. The edge stretched out on both sides of her as if someone had cut the mountain with an enormous axe, and removed the continuation and left a steep rocky side down to the forest bellow.

A storm of emotions rushed through her as she looked mutely out on the horizon. She trembled when she finally understood where she was.

She was home… This was Konoha… _Before it became Konoha._

There was no buildings, no people or noises. The gigantic stone faces of the five Hokages was nowhere in the mountain side. She was utterly alone.

Searching the forest below with her eyes, she found the stream she remembered had ran through training ground three. She searched for where she suspected the boarders of Konoha had been… would be…

All her life she'd felt alone, but it was nothing to how she felt like now.

Naruto would never see them again. Even if she lived to the age of a hundred and miraculously saw them when they were born they would still never know her, never talk to her. Her friends… Her precious people.

Those who once had made her strong and belong would forever be lost to her. She had already realised it, but standing here gazing over the horizon she felt a new level of acknowledgement ripple through her in brutal waves.

Getting lost inside her memory, she had no idea how long she sat there staring out towards the horizon, legs dangling out from the cliff, and Kurama staying quiet for once.

Only when the sun started sinking did she remember her obligations. Rushing back at full speed she eventually managed to kill a deer. They had never gone for such large prey previously, but right now she didn't have time to look for the usual, and they would have to light a fire in the dark as well if they wanted food.

"Are we expecting company?" Asked Itama, still pale and sweaty but sitting up when she came back. Naruto plastered on her smile and laughed.

"Sorry, just us I'm afraid. I hope you're hungry though."

Looking from the deer larger than the girl right outside the opening of the cave, he giggled.

"Ah too bad. But what took you so long? I was getting worried." He asked while Naruto started skinning the deer outside.

"Went exploring and forgot the time. I'm sorry, are you alright?"

While she worked she studied Itama. He looked a lot better than he had this morning. "I'm fine, but are we going to light a fire in the dark? Isn't that what we've been avoiding?" He asked worriedly.

"I know, but I'll stay up tonight and keep watch. If we want food this is all I've got to offer." Itama seemed to be alright with this, since he just nodded and started telling her about the dream he had while she was away. Which involved an angry flying tiger summon, while he had ran around cleaning caves in the wilderness for sick wanderers.

Knowing that she should have been more careful she still couldn't feel afraid. She was home, even if no one would ever know of it.

As she listened to the young happy kid in front of her, she couldn't help but feel her spirit lift again. She had the means to make things better, and she'd be damned if she didn't take the opportunity.

* * *

Madara sat by the river bank while looking for skipping stones. Hashirama should be here any moment and he wanted to pick out the best ones before the other boy got here. He knew of course that removing all the good skipping stones before his friend got here would be impossible, not to mention the problem of hiding them all. But maybe the ones in his area.

He was surprised when Hashirama didn't come at the usual time. Stopping his search and wondering if maybe Hashirama wasn't coming today, Madara shrugged to himself and continued searching.

That just meant he had more time to remove the good rocks before the next time they met up.

Two hours later Madara looked up at the sound of footsteps. Hashirama came more or less skipping down to the river. He was in such a good mood, Madara was infected by it from the other side of the shore. He waved at Hashirama who was heading straight for him. "Guess what, Madara!" he exclaimed when he was still at the other edge of the shore, so excited he couldn't contain himself.

"You ate the wrong mushrooms for breakfast?" He answered with a crooked smile.

Hashirama grimaced, but for once didn't fall into his moping habit. Madara was getting seriously curious from this odd change. "What's up? You look like a little girl skipping like that." He teased.

Hashirama stuck out his tongue but other than that seemed to be in such high spirits nothing could get his mood down.

"My little brother Itama is alright!" he exclaimed, "He managed to escape. We thought he'd died but he hadn't! I mean, we found a lot of blood, his chokutō and pieces of his clothes in the forest and assumed the worst. Everyone else was dead you know. It wouldn't be the first time someone was killed without us finding the body. But apparently this girl saved him at the last moment and they ran for it half across Fire Country! He came back last night!" He seemed to be floating in delight as he told Madara.

"That… That's great Hashirama… I'm happy for you!" Madara said, trying to sound as cheerful as was expected from such news. He was surprised and maybe a little jealous; he hoped bitterly that his own brothers could miraculously come back from the dead too.

They had started meeting up regularly by the creek. Often talking about their dreams for the future. Where kids didn't have to fight and kill each other, and there was no more war. They discussed how it could be done and when they were all out of ideas for the day, they sparred.

They often bickered too, and most of the times disagreed on the simplest of things. But neither had ever had such a carefree time anywhere else but by the river. Soon they had gone out exploring, often having races to check who was fastest and ran for miles and miles.

Madara was truly happy for Hashirama, he'd been very annoying when he'd been moping around because of his missing brother. Still, he started wondering who the attackers had been. Who had killed 'all the others' as Hashirama had put it.

It hadn't been the Uchiha had it?

"Come on, I've found a great place we can use for races. It's not far away and it goes for several miles before it reaches the mountain!" Madara exclaimed and dragged Hashirama with him towards the starting point.

Looking back at Hashirama, he wondered what would happen if he really was a Senju. Could he continue being friends with someone who had helped slaughter his own family? Could he trust Hashirama, if he turned out to be on the other side?

No.

* * *

A week later Hashirama and Madara stood by the foot of a steep mountain. The brown haired boy was excitingly telling his friend about a technique of his own invention he wanted them to master together.

"I call it the mega fist of fiery illusion shuriken slicer double impact technique!" Hashirama explained eagerly while going through a handful of signs in rapid pace.

"That's… a mouthful." Grinned Madara.

"You see, the trick behind it-" Started Hashirama but Madara interrupted, not at all interested in doing ridiculous experimental ninjutsu that the knuckle head had come up with himself.

"I have a better idea. Let's scale some walls today, to work on our upper body strength!" He said pointing up towards the mountain side. Madara almost expected Hashirama's response by now.

The boy sank down with his hands around his knees and started sulking. Rolling his eyes, Madara got off some of his irritation towards his friend.

"You can't sulk just because things don't go your way! That's your weak point. Look-" He started, but before he knew exactly what happened Hashirama jumped up and took off up the wall with a gleeful expression.

"GYAHAHAHA! I'm going to be first!" He shouted.

Madara bellowed his disapproval before pelting after him. "YOU WERE TOTALLY FAKING IT!"

Hashirama laughed as he saw the edge come closer, Madara was still metres away from catching up. He was so going to win this! Taking an uncontrolled leap over the edge and crashing into the hard rock surface of the mountain top gasping, Madara came rushing after him with the same wildness to his movements.

They both landed awkwardly, and breathed hard through their smiles.

"I so win this one!" Hashirama gloated.

Madara sneered and sat up. "Of course, you cheated!" He shot back.

Sitting up to fire back a smart response Hashirama froze. He was staring towards the cliff edge behind Madara. The boy turned, confused as to what had caught his attention so abruptly.

A girl was sitting only a few steps away from him looking startled.

She had long blond hair with the bluest eyes Madara had ever seen. She also had some strange markings on her face, three lines on each cheek, resembling whiskers on a cat.

"Uh… Hello." She said, waving a bandage wrapped hand while eyeing Madara uncertainly.

It couldn't have been plainer that the two boys were shinobi, they had just raced vertically up a mountainside without the use of their hands.

"Eh… Hi! What are you doing up here?" Answered Madara while studying the girl in return. He could feel her chakra even from here. She was definitely a ninja, one who didn't have very good control on her chakra it seemed.

"I came for the view." She replied and simply pointing out over the mountain edge. The boys turned and looked over the horizon. For a few moments none of them spoke, all three lost in the beautiful scenery ahead of them.

"Man, what a view! I wouldn't mind living here!" Exclaimed Hashirama.

The girl giggled and smiled widely to Hashirama. "Me too. A village hidden in the leaves." She said chuckling. Madara wondered what she found so amusing, but decided against voicing it.

"Eh? That's a lame name! So simple, you just said what you see in front of you." Moaned Hashirama.

The girl seemed to find this even funnier, because she laughed so hard she clutched her stomach. The laughter went from joyful to silence as she got a hold of herself, but both Madara and Hashirama got the feeling her good mood had turned sad.

_'Man, this girl is more emotional than Hashirama.'_ Thought Madara and gazed back over the horizon.

"Who're you?" Asked Madara absentmindedly. He didn't really care, he wanted to have a spar with Hashirama before they went home, and hoped the strange girl wouldn't take up too much of their time.

"Namikaze Naruto." She answered, looking at Madara from the corner of her eye. Both boys looked at her with surprise. Madara couldn't believe what an idiot she was. Telling your last name to strangers? Maybe she wasn't a shinobi after all.

Hashirama on the other hand had started stuttering. "N-Naruto!? You- You're the one who saved Itama!" He exclaimed and jumped to his feet.

Madara's eyebrows rose to his hairline as he looked from Hashirama to the small blond girl named Naruto. Seriously? She looked like a good draft of wind would blow her away. And what sort of name was Naruto anyway? Wasn't that a ramen ingredient?

"Oh… You know Itama?" She asked curiously, looking up at Hashirama.

"Yes! He's my younger brother! I am eternally grateful to you Naruto-chan!" He said and bowed low to the sitting girl.

"I owe you now. I promised to take care of my brothers, but when it mattered the most I came too late and we all thought him dead. When Itama came home it was the best day of my life. He has told me so many stories about you! When you saved him, and then later when you helped him through his illness. I think he's a little infatuated with you now. At least he won't stop talking about you." Hashirama exclaimed while Naruto and Madara got to their feet.

"Eh… I would have done it for anyone. He's only six. I had to help." She said unsure of how to behave around these boys. "And what's your name anyway?" She looked questioningly from one to the other, her eyes stopping on Madara with an unreadable expression.

"I'm Madara." Said the closest boy with black spiky hair that seemed eerily familiar, and now she knew why. Gulping she looked quickly over at the boy with the funny haircut, focusing hard on him instead of the would-be maniac.

"And I'm Hashirama!" The second one said and stretched out his hand to greet her. Shaking her hand he continued. "Nice to meet you Naruto-chan!"

Madara greeted her only with a short nod. "Yes, nice to meet you." He didn't look it though, he seemed more uncertain about her.

"Did you get back home alright? Do you live close by since you're here? You know… Now that I think about it, I've never heard of a Namikaze clan, are you foreign?" Asked Hashirama. Naruto shook her head and told them the same thing she'd told Itama earlier.

"So you are alone? Where's your village?" Asked Madara at the end.

"Eh..." She looked over the horizon to the close growing trees below. This was home. This was her village, but obviously she couldn't tell them that. "My village is gone. As I said, I'm alone now." She said shrugging her shoulders. Not in a carefree manner, but more in a what-can-you-do-about-it manner. They both grimace slightly when they heard that.

"How come you survived then?" Asked Hashirama, even though he suspected this was a dangerous subject to get into.

"I'm not sure," She sighted. "I sort of blacked out."

"I remember Itama said you heal fast! Maybe that's what happened? I heard something about how you got hit by a shuriken in the back but that the wound healed itself in a few hours." He mused still smiling.

It was great to finally have a face to the person his youngest brother was talking his ears off about.

"What? That's not possible, or are you a medic?" Asked Madara sceptically. He already knew the girl's chakra control was more or less abysmal, so it was not very likely.

"No it's not." Said Naruto and Hashirama at the same time.

"Look, Madara!" Said the brown haired boy and took up his kunai, next to him Naruto copied the movements. He slit his palm at the same time as Naruto and a little blood emerged to the surface of their skin. Both of them stuck their hand towards Madara.

The Uchiha looked confused at their morbid behaviour. Cutting yourself? What the hell…

Then his eyes widened as both their wounds started disappearing, Naruto's at such a quick pace he could see her skin healing and becoming as good as new while Hashirama still had some scarring left. The whole process had taken less than five minutes.

Madara wracked his brain for clans with an ability like this. Nothing came to mind at all. Certainly not the Senju, they would have noticed by now if one of their prisoners suddenly healed themselves in their cell.

"That's… amazing. And...You never told me you could do that Hashirama!" Madara shouted accusingly while pointing at Hashirmama.

The boy then fell into his depression stance. Naruto, who had never witnessed this before, tried to cheer him up while Madara rolled his eyes in exasperation. However his mind was racing, could they be related somehow? They looked nothing alike, except maybe the way they smiled. Wide toothy grins that took up half of their face.

Other than that he couldn't see any resemblance what so ever.

"How do you do it?" Asked Madara when he couldn't deal with his own curiosity any more. If this was some technique he was so going to master it, starting from right now.

"Don't know… I've always healed that fast. I think I was born with it." Said Hashirama and looked over at Naruto.

"Me too."

Hashirama then seemed to be reminded of something important and clapped his fist into his other palm so the smack echoed over the valley. "Can you show me that clone thing? Kage bunshin was it?" He asked eagerly.

"Itama certainly has been talking a lot haven't he?" Said Naruto, but still she nodded and did the ram seal.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu." She said quickly.

Five clones popped into existence around them so suddenly Madara jumped in surprised. All six Naruto chuckled at the same time.

"Wicked! Show me! I mean… Please Naruto-chan, would you teach me your technique?" Asked Hashirama, remembering his manners.

Even though Naruto reluctantly agreed, it proved later she was no talented teacher.

Madara was convinced the girl was being honest, and was truly doing her best to teach them both. But when she used sentences such as; "You just, whooom you know, and then BOAH, dattebayo!" He had the impression she was a complete and utter moron.

He also voiced this opinion, and got a black eye in retaliation. Clearly she was far from as fragile as he first assumed. The brawl turned into a full blown out match, with Hashirama as an eager referee.

* * *

_'She's amazing!'_   Was the dangerous thought that ran through Madara's head when he had to dodge to save his own life as a wind technique roared toward him. The boulder he hid behind shattered into tiny pieces as he lunged behind the next one.

She was really fast and strong compared to others their age, and very good at ninjutsu. She could also keep up with him, and she couldn't be more than a year older than them.

Never had Madara thought there could be someone else — other than Hashirama — who was so equal in strength to him. Before he'd met Hashirama, he'd never imagined anyone being his equal at their age. But in Naruto's case she might… no matter how much he tried to deny it… be a little bit… just the minuscule, tiniest amount... better.

At least for right now.

Madara was going to do some serious training at home from now on. He was mortified this girl could keep up with him. She was a girl after all. And he was supposed to be the most talented Uchiha in eighty years! He couldn't allow some homeless wanderer to show him up.

Naruto stumbled over him with her fist first. He had no idea how she managed it, but landing hard on his back he coughed as the girl fell over him. Kneeing him in the jaw as she went down.

Dust swirled around she struggled to get off him before she finally got a good grip, using his right arm to push herself off. She jumped to her feet and held her kunai threateningly above him.

Still a little disoriented after the last knock to his jaw, he only comprehended one thing.

Fuck… he lost…

* * *

Naruto considered doing it. Slitting his throat.

Just a small movement, it would be so absurdly easy. Then none of it would happen, he would never hurt another soul ever again. Her friends or her family. They could all have a future if she just twisted her wrist.

She leaned over and reached out her hand for him to grab. "Good match, Madara." She said cheekily, trying to cover up her hesitation while she helped him to his feet. The boy didn't seem to have registered it at all, he just grumbled and seemed very embarrassed by his defeat.

Naruto was trying to focus on the good points of the Madara in front of her. He was actually a lot less arrogant than Sasuke had been at that age, and just like Sasuke he had lost family, at least she thought he had. Or maybe it was later that happened…

She didn't know the details around Hashirama and Madara's friendship; all she knew was that they had been friends turned enemies, turned friends, turned enemies again. When, how or where was completely up in the air.

But looking at the boy trying very hard to act indifferent, Naruto knew she could have killed him as much as she could have watched Itama get murdered that night weeks ago. It wasn't right, he hadn't done any of those things yet. Nothing started out bad at first, not even Kaguya had been evil before she ate the chakra fruit.

He was a young boy who lived in a harsh time, people had gone mad from less things than what Madara had lived through. And while he was not as innocent as the kids Naruto had originally grown up with, he didn't deserve to die without being given a chance. Wasn't that what she was trying to do? Give them all a chance?

It was then she started wondering if this might not be a good thing. To become friends with Hashirama and Madara at a young age would make things easier. Mostly because at some point she suspected black Zetsu would start looming around Madara, but also because she might be of some help.

Zetsu was the slipperiest bastard she'd ever encountered. At all cost she had to kill him. Or if that wasn't possible, then at least seal him away forever. If Zetsu didn't get his claws into Madara and went back into hiding it would only be to bide his time. He'd done it for hundreds of years already, what was a couple more? And Naruto had a bad feeling Sasuke would be next on his list, since she was now stuck in the past, unable to help her bastard of a best friend.

No, she would have to do both now, catch black Zetsu and help Hashirama and Madara in reaching their dream. How many times had she heard she had the ability to change someone's heart? And looking at Hashirama she wondered if maybe he didn't have that too, they had the same soul after all. But how would she be someone's friend while searching for black Zetsu? She would sooner or later have to leave again.

If both of them tried their best…. Could maybe that be enough? And if Madara still had any siblings then they would have to make sure they stayed alive. Naruto knew how Uchiha boys had a habit of going insane over their brothers a little too well.

"That was a really great match!" Exclaimed Hashirama as he ran over. "Itama wasn't exaggerating!" He said while looking from Naruto to Madara. "You might have some problems covering up that bruise though." He added gleefully while pointing at the blooming mark on Madara's jaw.

"Oy! I'd like to see you do any better! She'd have you moping in a corner after a second!" He growled, and then realised he'd just complimented Naruto.

"Of course I'm tired today... You know, 'was up late and sparring with Father. Still stiff and stuff." He huffed and straightened up.

"Sure, sure." Muttered Naruto with her trademark smile. Madara was unsure if she actually believed him or not, but didn't get to figure it out before his hyperactive friend started bouncing in excitement.

"Come on Naruto! I'm up next!"

* * *

"It should have mission categories! You know, so that younger and more inexperienced ninjas aren't sent out on missions too hard at an early stage, you know!? That way there wouldn't be too many risks right!" Said Hashirama to his friends as they sat in a circle by the river bank, night had fallen but the three of them was deep in discussion about their dream.

"Yeah, but people could lie when ordering a mission, dattebayo. So there should be like, three fresh ones together with an experienced sensei. So they could all learn while doing missions, and if they came into unexpected danger there would be someone who knew how to deal with it." Answered Naruto animatedly, she knew after all from experience that this worked.

"Yeah! That's a good idea! And the teams could be specialised from early on. Tracking teams, capturing teams, fighting teams. They could be put together according to skills and personalities. That way you'd get really strong troops as a whole." Madara added. Naruto nodded, and Hashirama looked thoughtful.

"Yes, that could work… Some are genetically more able to work with tracking while others has more raw powers." He said while taking mental notes of all the suggestions that was being thrown about.

They had been sitting there for hours, but their talk hadn't stopped once the entire time. When Naruto had declined Hashirama's challenge, saving it for another day, and Madara had finally stopped moping about his loss against Naruto. Hashirama had started asking Naruto about her past. Why she was alone, what she did and finally what she wanted in the future.

Both boys had been shocked, but also happy to find a third foolish optimist who seemed to share their dream.

Madara had quickly forgotten his loss, and started discussing the things he and Hashirama had talked about for the last couple of months. Naruto, while not very patient with the drier points, seemed genuinely interested in many of the ideas.

She came with suggestions and asked for explanations to things she didn't understand. Which admittedly was quite a bit. Before they knew it they had led Naruto down from the mountain to their meeting spot by the river where they still conversed.

It was close to midnight when Madara realised he had to head home before anyone came looking for him.

Reluctantly, he said goodbye and left them as he ran to the opposite shore. Hashirama seemed to realise the same thing and said goodnight to Naruto before leaving the girl alone in the clearing, smiling from ear to ear in happiness.

She couldn't help it, even though she knew what Madara had the potential to end up as; she couldn't see this happy, slightly haughty boy as the same murderer she had met in her past. In a way he reminded her of Sasuke, and in others they were very different. Both were a good people who had been through horrors, manipulated and thrown into bad circumstances.

That night as she walked home to her cave, she swore to herself she would save Madara, just like she had sworn to save Sasuke.

And that Hashirama and Madara was going to found, and stay with her in the future Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Naruto meet Hashirama and Madara on the Hokage mountain! I really wanted them to meet here. It's a place all of them have in common. All of them dreaming of the future while they were kids, at the same place only in different times. I find it more believable that Hashirama and Madara ran into Naruto up there while she brooded and missed her friends, then she randomly running across the river somewhere in the forest.


	4. Boiling  Frog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 04.16: Thank you so much Jayden-the-Jaded, for betaing this chapter and the others.

**Chapter three – Boiling Frog**

_The boiling frog is an anecdote describing a frog slowly being boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of threats that occur gradually._

* * *

Stepping in through the front door of his house, Hashirama was greeted by his brother Tobirama. He was standing in fluffy slippers, a pink apron and a baking bowl in his hand as he waved the wooden spoon still full of bread dough in greeting.

Hashirama wondered what they would do without Tobi sometimes, he was only ten, but still better at keeping the household together then even their father. Tobirama was tall for his age just like Hashirama, but unlike Hashirama's flat dark, hair his was light grey and spiky. He had also inherited their mother's ruby eyes, while Hashirama and Itama had gotten dark brown orbs from their dad.

Many of the civilians who met them couldn't believe they were related; they looked so different and behaved completely contradictory to each other. Ironically it was Tobirama who had the most sense and acted the oldest.

"Late much? Dinner was over hours ago. We were considering sending out a search party." Muttered Tobirama. He rolled his eyes at Hashirama when his shoulders slumped and his head bowed forwards in depression.

"I'm so sorry. Forgive me, Tobi!"

"That doesn't work on me anymore, Hashirama! Dad's in there, he probably wants to see you're alive." Said the middle brother of the family, pointing towards the door behind him with the spoon and marched back into the kitchen.

Straightening up and nodding to the back of his brother's head, Hashirama walked into the lounge. "I'm home." He sang as he spotted his father and youngest brother Itama playing cards.

"Where were you? You're usually not this late," his father Butsuma queried as he laid out a card on the floor.

His father was a compactly built man with slightly thinner dark brown hair than Hashirama. He was very stern, but that wasn't that strange since he had to keep track of three sons all under the age of thirteen alone. Their mother had died a few years ago. One day when she was out in the forest picking herbs she had been attacked by the Uchiha; she had been seven months pregnant.

Half a year ago their brother Kawarama had been killed as well during one of the larger battles between the two clans. He had only been seven.

"Em… Just out, did some training and lost track of time." Answered Hashirama. He wasn't sure why he didn't tell them about Madara, but the idea didn't sit well with him. It was a very real possibility his father wouldn't approve of him having friends outside of the clan.

"Can you train with me tomorrow, brother? I want to try the Kage Bunshin Naruto-chan taught me! I still can't do it properly, but today I made some smoke appear, and I think I saw some of my hair in the dust!" Itama exclaimed, ignoring his father who was waiting for him to make his move.

"I don't like you doing experimental ninjutsu alone, Itama! That technique sounds dangerous." Said Tobirama loudly from the kitchen.

"It's not dangerous! Naruto-chan made a sea of clones! I think there was like a hundred of her running around taking down the Uchiha!" Exclaimed Itama back, his cheeks puffing in indignation that Tobirama could say something that could even remotely be taken as offensive to Naruto's character.

"Don't shout in the house Itama." Ordered Butsuma sternly. Hashirama smiled and nodded to his younger brother.

"I agree with Tobi. You shouldn't do that stuff alone, so I'll help you tomorrow." He said and sat down next to them, ruffing up Itama's two toned hair as he decided he didn't have anything better to do than to go to sleep.

"Really? That would be awesome, brother! I haven't seen you around much lately." Itama said and finally went back to concentrating on the game when his father gave him an annoyed look.

Tobirama came in, apron free but still patched with flour and looked down at his older brother. "Yes, you haven't been around lately. Even before Itama returned you were absent for a lot of the time. Where do you go?" Asked the only white haired boy in the room.

"Around. Today I went up on the mountain..." He trailed off, considering if he should mention that he'd run into Naruto. But then they might start asking questions, or worse, meet up to see her. If they saw Madara…

"Which one? They're pretty far away. You shouldn't wander off like that, son. You might be the oldest, but that doesn't mean you can't lose. You never know where you can run into an Uchiha." Said Butsuma and looked up from his stack of cards.

"I went to the one westwards. You know, the funny one which looks like it has been cut down one of the sides." Hashirama answered, feeling bad about not telling them why he'd ended up there. "It's really nice there. The view is truly great."

"At least it's not in the direction of the Uchiha." Muttered his father as he laid down another card.

Tobirama had just noticed how much flour was on his clothes and started dusting it off while talking to Hashirama. "Don't forget you have a mission tomorrow brother."

"I won't, but that's in the afternoon, and anyway I'll be going with you. If I know you at all, then you'll _make_  me be on time."

* * *

The next few weeks there was an increased number of visits to the clearing in the forest. Hashirama had not failed to notice that ever since Madara and he had ran into the cheery blonde girl, things had been even better than they used to.

The trio sat cross legged on the shore next to the calm creek when Naruto had come up with the term; 'genin' for junior ninjas in their village. They had already been discussing for a while, and was now calling the village Konoha.

Hashirama hadn't liked the term genin any better than he had liked the name Konoha, but Madara did. "Genin team. Yeah, that sounds plausible to me. It's definitely a better name than 'Freshly approved Ninja student graduates from the pre-training academy squads' anyway." He said and gave an exasperated look towards Hashirama.

The boy instantly knelt down with his hands around his legs with his head towards his knees, the depressing aura looming around him.

"Stop being so damn emotional, Hashirama! Seriously! I still can't figure out if you're being serious or not!" Shouted Madara while pointing at the moody boy.

While Hashirama and Madara was definitely the closest friends, it was Hashirama and Naruto who got along the best.

Madara could have sworn, if it wasn't for the fact that they looked nothing alike, that they were long lost twins or something. Madara and Naruto bickered more than Hashirama did with either of them, mostly because he was so good at manipulating them when he didn't get his way.

Naruto however was a believer in meeting opposition head on and Madara was the same. They had given each other more bruises and scratches in a week, than Hashirama and Madara had gotten from each other in all the two months they'd been sparring combined.

To both boys bad luck, it seemed Naruto was the type of person who talked better through her fists than her mouth. She seemed like a natural fighter, had very high pain tolerance and never seemed to grow tired.

Hashirama guessed she had to be tough to survive on her own in these war filled times. It made up for her sometimes naive ignorance. But her lack of schooling was to be expected for someone who'd lost everyone she'd ever known when she was six years old, and never gotten an education.

"So if there's three genin on each team… Then we're sort of the first team of Konoha aren't we?" Said Madara and laughed. Hashirama smiled while Naruto looked wistful.

"Yeah! We totally are. Team One of Konoha!" Exclaimed Hashirama, tolerating the name since he was outvoted.

"I still think I'm at least chunin level." Added Madara and grinned crookedly, but actually meaning it. He felt he was far above a rookie ninja by now.

"Well, if you're chunin, and have yet to beat me, then does that make me a jonin?" Grinned Naruto excited about the idea. She'd never been promoted from genin and took some enjoyment from this.

"As if, you've just been lucky! I'll beat you soon. You're not organised enough to be a jonin though. I can't see you leading a team yourself yet, you seem to have more than enough with yourself." Stated Madara with a challenging look at Naruto.

"I could lead a team! Heck, I could lead an army, dattebayo! I just lack one." She grumbled, letting her chin rest on the palm of her hand as she glared nastily at the Uchiha.

"That's your own fault, you could probably get into a clan if you wanted to. You have some talent after all." Teased Hashirama and got to his feet. They had been planning to do some exercises before they had to go home.

"Of course I could if I wanted to. But most clans these days seem happier to shoot at you than listen." She said, following the Senju's lead along with Madara.

"Oh that reminds me." Mumbled Madara. He stood opposite the curious blonde girl and reached out his hand clutching a small book. "Here. It's a books about shinobi in the fire country. It will give you a better understanding of where you have to stay away from."

He had brought it from home after hearing how clueless the girl was on the situation in the country. She knew a lot of funny facts about the other nations Hashirama and Madara had never heard of, but when it came to home turf she was pretty lost. He had even asked his father, and after he'd questioned Madara about the girl he had agreed to loan it to her.

Naruto looked wide eyed down at it and took a peek at the cover. 'Clan Dictionary' was written with bold black letters over a picture of a flame. "I can't believe you've never heard of the Hudanea. Seriously, they live like a few miles away. How the hell have you survived this long?" asked the Uchiha as Naruto studied the cover of the book.

For a long moment she stared at it, Hashirama looking curiously over her shoulder, while Madara had a superior expression plastered on his face.

Looking teary eyed up at him Naruto croaked. "Thank you!" And then proceeded to throw her arms around his neck.

Madara was caught so off guard he staggered and blushed at the girl's display of emotions. "Wha- It's nothing! You can let go now." He grunted and gave her an awkward pat on the head when she still clung to him.

"You are so sweet for being concerned for me, Madara." She said smiling brightly while stepping back.

"I'm not concerned, idiot!" He shouted back, getting very flustered.

Hashirama was laughing and took the book out of Naruto's hand. "I haven't seen this before." He said and looked curiously at the cover.

"Well… It's mine, so it's not that surprising," Madara groused, crossing his arms in front of him. "She desperately needs it though. If not she might wander into a Hagaromo and get herself killed." He added annoyed.

"Eh? You mean the Sage of the Six Paths?" Naruto asked, startled.

Both boys looked just as lost at her reply. "Sage of the Six Paths? What the hell? No, I was talking about the Hagaromo clan. What on earth do they have to do with the Sage of the six Paths?" Madara asked, baffled as to how she could have made that conclusion.

_'You idiotic, brat! His name is Hagoromo, not Hagaromo you misguided misfit!'_ Kurama growled, enraged inside her mindscape.

"Oh sorry… I thought you meant Hagoromo..." Naruto mumbled, looking put out.

"And who is that?" Asked Hashirama with one eyebrow raised.

"The Sage of the Six Paths..." Answered Naruto uncertainly.

The boys' eyebrows raised to their hairline at this piece of trivia. "The Sage of the Six Paths was named Hagoromo?" Asked Hashirama incredulously. The fact that a girl who didn't know the placement of the nearest civilian village, but somehow knew the name of theSage of the Six Paths was a little incomprehensible. "Why do you think that?"

"Em… I just know. Was told the story you know. How else do you learn?" She asked, smiling while trying to figure out how to get out of the conversation. Kurama was still very insulted that she'd forgotten his father's name.

"I've never heard he had a name. They just called him the Sage of the Six Paths, or the founder of ninjutsu." Madara stated stubbornly, doubting whatever she'd heard was actually correct.

"Hey! It's true! And he wasn't the founder of ninjutsu, he was the founder of ninshū, dattebayo! You shouldn't talk about things you don't know!" Naruto exclaimed getting insulted by his tone.

"Ninshū? And what is that?" Hashirama wondered aloud.

Rubbing the back of her head, Naruto tried to think of how to answer. She was still a little uncertain exactly what ninshū was herself.

The boys started losing interest.

"You're just pulling our leg aren't you?" Madara griped.

"No, damn it! Sit down, and let me think, why don't you? In fact, I'll tell you everything I know. I think you two should know this story." She said, realising the truth of her own words.

After Naruto's outburst at the boys, she'd ordered them to listen despite Madara's many protests. He wanted to do something more productive than storytelling. Naruto had insistent though, and after a quick taijutsu match which ended in a tie, she had started telling the story despite Madara's taunts.

It hadn't taken the boy long to get sucked in though.

He had heard his own version of these stories as a child. But nothing quite this detailed. Wherever she had come from, they must have been very interested in the origins of shinobi. Since what she told him was both contradicting their own version, but also made more sense in its own unbelievable self.

As she told the story she became different, more serious and mature with such dedication, Hashirama half the time had the impression the girl had been there herself.

She told them about the Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya, eating the chakra fruit and how she became a tyrant and slave to her own powers and about her two sons. The first two to be born with chakra. Who eventually had been forced to seal their own mother away for the sake of the people.

How one of the twin brothers, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, had become the first jinchuriki of the Ten Tails and at his death had separated the Ten Tails into nine individual bijū. He was afraid of what would happen if the Ten Tails ever was released again, since he had foreseen that this would be the end of the world.

She told them of his legacy, which she specified had never been ninjutsu, but ninshū. A way of people sharing chakra between themselves and working together to protect one another. Ninjutsu was a tool of war misunderstood and abused from its origin, Ninshū.

On their next meeting the next day they decided to do balance training while Naruto continued her storytelling. She told them of Hagoromo's two sons: Indra and Ashura. They had found some very sharp rocks up the stream and was balancing on top of them at Naruto's instructions while she also continued the story.

"Indra was the oldest. He was the talented one, and had inherited his father's visual power. Which made his eyes and mind powerful, while his younger brother Ashura was the opposite. He needed all the help he could get and had to practise a lot more. However he had inherited his father's life force, which meant he lived long and was much more indestructible physically than Ashura. The two brothers lived peacefully together at first, but they were as different as night and day, or more accurately like Yin and Yang.

When Hogoromo knew his life was coming to an end he decided he needed an heir to continue his legacy. Looking at his two sons' abilities, he favoured his second son's approach to peace over Indra. Ashura who had started out badly, had grown strong through friends and loved ones, making people love him as he loved them. Believing this was the route to peace, he let Ashura become the next leader of Ninshū.

Indra was a born genius and preferred solitude. Their father's decision became Indra's weakness, since he became jealous.

Black Zetsu, a being who'd survived the sealing of his creator and mother Kaguya, went to Indra and started his manipulation. Black Zetsu was no Rabbit Goddess, but still had his own twisted manipulation skills. He made Indra hate his brother for making their father choose him. And as a result the Brother War started.

Even after they both had died, and both had loved each other more than anything, they became the bane of each other's existence.

Their views have been passed down through their descendants. Black Zetsu following close behind while making sure there's never rest between them. And it is said that the brothers' soul are reincarnated time and time again, through members of their respective descendants, forever attempting to finish the sibling war that started hundreds of years ago." Naruto explained, balancing on top of a very thin rock, using only one toe.

The stone was very pointy, and if she became unsteady she would tumble into the river. Madara and Hashirama had fallen in a handful of times already, but Naruto was still as dry as when she'd started.

"Wait, you mean that Indra and Ashura are being reborn again and again, as their own descendants?" Asked Hashirama as he staggered on his own pointy rock. Naruto nodded, but kept her eyes shut.

Madara was studying her skills, she was surprisingly good at standing so still. She normally couldn't stay in one place for more than a few second.

"Yes, can you guess who their descendants might be though? I myself have a few guesses." Replied Naruto as she glanced at Hashirama through her lashes. The boy scratched his head but shook it after a few minutes.

"No… Should I?" Asked Hashirama.

"Well… Maybe, I think Indra's descendants are the Uchiha."

Madara pummeled into the water in shock. Coming up for air while Hashirama stood laughing at him, Naruto giggling from the top of her rock. "Uchiha? Because of their eye powers? But the Hyūga have that too!" Asked Madara, tilting his head sideways.

Naruto opened both eyes and looked back at him, she kept her smile wide as she nodded. "True, but they are the descendants of Hagoromo's twin brother Hamura." She explained, Madara thought back on her many stories, she had a point. Hagoromo had the Rinnegan, while Hamura had the Byakugan.

"What about Ashura..." He trailed off while his eyes widened. "You think it's the Senju, don't you?" He exclaimed, surprised at his own words.

"Yes… The Senju have—if they aren't killed in battle—long lives. They are a powerful clan with a memory that reaches far back, just like the Uchiha and Hyūga. But there is also the Uzumaki clan, who are known for their strong life force and large chakra reserves. Very similar to the Senju. The clan lives far away from the Uchiha compared to the Senju, so their rivalry with their kin clan aren't as intense. But I think the direct line goes through these three clans." She replied and closed her eyes again.

Madara and Hashirama looked at each other. Hashirama had finally managed to get up on the rock, but had gone quiet, thinking hard about Naruto's theory.

"What about this Black Zetsu?" He asked going just as still as Naruto. "How can he make sure there is chaos between the clans? Wouldn't they notice him?"

"I don't know entirely. Black Zetsu operates in the shadows, he can move through earth and hear through walls. He never rests, always wanting his mother back, hating Ashura and Indra's parentage as he waits to find a victim that fits his standards. He can feel the brothers' souls, and waits for the day one of them can be manipulated through grief or anger to do his bidding.

Which in simple terms means the Tsuki no Me. The end of the world. Only someone who can awaken the Rinnegan can achieve this. The person would have had to have extreme potential, and hate deeply for them to awaken. Who knows, these Clan Wars are really the perfect stage. The hate has never been so tangible between the Uchiha and Senju as it is at this point in time… Maybe… But as I said, the plan is madness… To gather the nine bijū and reawaken the Ten Tails. Do you know we see it almost every day?" She said and looked at both of the other boys in turn.

"What? We see the Ten Tails every day?" Asked Hashirama sounding alarmed.

"Almost… Hagoromo and Hamura sealed the Gedo statue into the moon. The nine bijū are always the most restless at the full moon, you know." She closed her eyes again and breathed deeply.

Madara couldn't keep his eyes off her as he stood knee deep in the river. Hashirama seemed to have gained a new sense of relaxation as he mimicked Naruto, both showing no sign of losing their balance.

"The Tsuki no Me will be the end of the world. When the moon turns red and the people will fall into an eternal genjutsu so powerful they will never wake up again. In their dreams they will see what they want. They will be perfectly happy you could say. The world going the way they desire it to - but only for a limited time.

Because Kaguya wants her chakra back. And she will suck out their wills and chakra until there is nothing but a zombie bent to her will left. Then there will be no one left but the Rabbit Goddess, the Ten Tails left to roam the earth with her mindless servants." She finished and they all stood silently in thought.

Madara wondered how she could sound so sure of herself. It all sounded a little too far-fetched to him. "Who… Who told you this?" Asked Hashirama after a few minutes.

"From many sources… Some more reliable than others. The legends fascinates me. And I've seen him. I've seen Black Zetsu. Pitch dark with round yellow eyes. He has the shape of a human, but other than that there is only the eyes that distinguish him from a black shadow." She took a calming breath as her balance started to go a little off.

"And the Senju and Uchiha… were once brothers?" Asked Madara crossing his arms.

"Yes… It's what makes the war so much more painful. They are kin, even if they can't remember it anymore." Naruto then opened her eyes and grinned wildly down at Madara, the boy felt his cheeks heat up a bit at the look she gave him. She was just so warm.

Jumping down into the water in front of him she exclaimed. "I won't rest until the war between the Senju and Uchiha is over. I'll do everything I can to make sure Kaguya never gains strength, or black Zetsu can manipulate another of Indra's descendants. I'll stop this circle of hatred, dattebayo!" She promised.

Madara had the distinct feeling she was talking to him more than Hashirama, as if she knew… Really knew he was an Uchiha. His cheeks turned redder then before when he heard Hashirama land next to Naruto.

"I'm in too, Naruto. The war has gone on for too long." He said excitedly while Naruto turned and beamed at him with the same toothy grin.

Madara nodded, "I'm in too. I want to protect my brother, and Konoha, if we ever achieve it, would be a very good start." He said quietly to his two hyperactive friends.

She smiled so wide he actually had to look away as to not end up resembling a tomato. What the hell was wrong with him? His stomach felt warm, and his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. Seriously… He had to get a grip on himself.

"Then we'll have to grow strong, dattebayo! No one will ever listen to children, even if the grown-ups are acting stupid." She said, and with a jump she was back on top of the spiky rock again.

* * *

Sitting outside his house in the Uchiha village, Madara found himself looking forward to going back to the river in three days' time. Today however he had a mission, and was waiting for Izuna and Katsu to arrive. He wondered idly what Hashirama and Naruto was up to. Were they racing in the forest? Or failing at casting a genjutsu?

Both of them were absolutely hopeless at it and needed all the practise they could get. Especially Naruto.

Madara was waiting for the other two as expected. Izuna had tutoring until two, while Katsu was three years older than Madara, and never showed up early even if free dango was in the picture.

His younger brother was shaping up steadily these days, he seemed to be almost as talented as himself. Madara was very aware of his superior fighting talent, always had been. He was very competitive, and that might have been the key factor as to why he bothered with Hashirana. And Naruto of course.

Both put up a very good fight and he found it strange that he ran into these two so suddenly. Naruto had taught them, after a lot of stumbling, the Kage Bunshin. Naruto and Hashirama could make a lot of them. And by a lot, he meant that Naruto could make a mind blowing amount, while Hashirama had no problems making twenty. He himself almost fainted after making five. After he'd made the five clones two had evaporated in two seconds, and then he had to sit down for over an hour before stumbling back home, going to bed at six in the evening while his father thought he was sick.

Again he started thinking about the weird similarities between the two; they were the same, but not really. They couldn't do the same techniques, except what they had started teaching each other. But when they fought it was a blast to watch, both were unpredictable, both instinctive fighters who used their guts rather than their heads.

They both used chakra draining techniques without having to suffer from exhaustion, not the way Madara did. And then there was also their personalities. Naruto was a little denser than Hashirama, definitely, but both were just as... kind.

He then overheard the conversation of a couple of Uchiha passing by. "...No, those wretched Senju you know. Got stabbed by one a few months ago, I would sorely like to repay her in kind. Still hurts like a bitch." Uchiha Hikaku said to his companion as they walked past, not noticing him.

Instantly Madara felt angry again. Senju… Senju, Senju, Senju… The last fucking clan he wanted to have on his mind right now.

They were the worst people he could imagine. And so annoyingly equal to the Uchiha. He remembered clearly the faces of those who'd been killed at the hands of the members of that clan.

His brothers, his mother, everyone Madara's age had gone down to them as well. He was the only twelve year old left in the Uchiha village now. Many of the children had been the first to go, like his youngest brother.

The autumn when Madara was five, the Senju had attacked their village while most of them was away. He was at home with his mother and his two younger brothers when they had come over the boarders at night, plundering them to the very last apple.

His mother had woken up at night and gone into their bedroom to see if they were alright. She had stood between the Senju and her sons to save them, resulting in her getting killed right in front of them.

Kichiro had only been two… And still he'd been killed in the crossfire. The Senju didn't bat an eyelash as he'd fallen dead, pierced to the brink with shuriken. Madara would never forget the face of Senju Souma to the day he died.

On pure survival instinct Madara had grabbed Izuna and jumped through the window. Only thinking off running as far away as he could manage, dragging his brother behind him. Both just in their pyjamas in the cold autumn night.

"Yo, Madara."

Madara was shaken out of his dark memories by the sound of Katsu's voice.

"Hi Katsu, ready to start already? Didn't think you'd show up before five minutes after. You're on time for once." He said and got to his feet.

"Nah, Mum is nagging me about cleaning my room, I'd rather be here than wash the underside of the bed." Madara chuckled.

Katsu's mother was a very stern woman who demanded the men in her household to do as much of the chores as she herself did. She was also a very talented kunoichi who had to look after Katsu's younger sister these days instead of fighting. It was good to have some good fighters patrolling the village, disguised as harmless mothers. Could have needed more of them actually.

"Your mother is a piece of work, eh? We just have to wait for Izuna now, he should be here any moment." Madara said and looked in the direction of the library. Izuna was going through the Uchiha history these days. But not the version Naruto had told him and Hashirama.

"Where have you been lately? I hardly see you outside of missions you know."

"Met a good sparring partner. Outside the village, clan less and refuses to become part of the war. Can actually hold up for quite a time." Madara said vaguely.

"So it is true, I heard rumours of that, you sure he is what he says though? The Senju can be sly as fuck when they put their mind to it."

"No, Naruto isn't a Senju, and it's a she, not a he. Doesn't look like any of them. Her village was destroyed when she was young, and now she avoids the battles like the plague. Shame really, if I could convince her, she'd make a good soldier for us."

"A girl? Is she pretty?" Asked Katsu and laughed as Madara flushed.

"Doesn't matter." He answered, trying to give Katsu as little ground to manoeuvre on with his teasing. Naruto was in fact very pretty, especially her smile. But she was also the least girlish girl he'd ever met, and that included Katsu's mum.

"Naruto? Isn't that the thing you have in Ramen?" Asked Katsu after a few moments.

"What I thought so as well." Answered Madara.

"But she must be really good, I hate to admit it but you are one stubborn opponent, and really good. I didn't think anyone your age could give you a run for your money." Replied Ketso. Well, these days there's two who can do that, thought Madara, but only nodded to Katsu since he had finally spotted Izuna amongst the people hanging around in the streets.

"Big bro! I'm ready for the mission! History is so boring! I wish we didn't have to go through everything, I keep wanting to fall asleep!" Moaned Madara's brother as he came closer.

"Don't let father hear you say that, Izuna. Come on, we're heading out."

* * *

_Could there be no peace?_ Wondered Hashirama, looking down at the five caskets being buried by his clansmen. Looking over at Itama he couldn't help but feel grateful it wasn't him in one of those boxes.

He'd just come home from a mission, bringing supplies in from Karonichi Village together with Tobirama and his uncle. It had been easy of course, but this certainly was a bad way for the day to end. Five dead… After losing six the day Itama disappeared, he'd been the only survivor that day, and only because of Naruto. Itama was crying, his friend was in one of those boxes, a girl a year older than Itama.

Sighing, he turned and walked away. He couldn't deal with this anymore. He wanted Konoha, their vision, to be happening right now.

"Hashirama?" Asked Tobirama as he disappeared behind the trees. "Brother, we should stay until the burial is over." He said to his retreating back.

"I need some distance." Was all he answered, and no one stopped him as he walked away. It would be him on the line tonight, he who was going in to try and take down some of the Uchiha who'd been spotted around the boarders of their land. They might try to infiltrate again.

He was going with father and Kyo. He was a friend of Tobirama who was older than both of them. Strict but very good at genjutsu. Hashirama was glad his brothers could sit this one out.

Itama and Tobirama came over half an hour later to the forest river he'd lately spent some time at. He knew this water ran into the creek where Madara, Naruto and he met up. He liked to follow it sometimes along the way when he went there. It's how he'd discovered it in the first place.

Years ago when his best friend had been killed and they'd both just been seven.

He'd walked to the spot he was now standing after the burial, just like now. And walking aimlessly, he had followed it all the winding path down to the bigger creek.

There he'd sat down and felt his sorrow lighten a little. He'd cried, but the tears and the water seemed connected, and for each tear that slid down his face he imagined that it would join the stream and remove his agony, one tear at a time.

After a while he went there just to clear his thought, and then he'd met Madara. He wondered if maybe the stream really did remove his pain. Maybe the stream sent him Madara. And together with Naruto the three of them would end the war, somehow.

He had been training very hard lately, he'd already mastered his Earth element, and Tobirama was helping him with Water, since he was a natural at it from the beginning.

Hashirama had found Earth a lot more difficult than Tobirama had found Water. He just wasn't as talented at elemental ninjutsu as his brother was. But now he was getting quite good, especially since he started training with water. He wasn't entirely sure why that was, according to father it was two completely different elements that had to be mastered separately.

_It's like trying to mix bark and salt, both has their uses in their respective settings, but doesn't add anything to each other when mixed._ Hashirama thought it was not entirely true. From his own experience elemental transformation was getting easier by the day, both Water and Earth, ever since he tried mixing them up a little.

It had been Naruto's idea. A lot of things was Naruto's idea.

Konoha… Konohagakure… Genin, chunin and jonin… Many strange names Hashirama didn't particularly like, it wasn't fancy enough. But maybe their dream was so big you needed the everyday terms to simplify the whole process a little.

He tried to place himself in the ranks they'd thought of. He was probably a chunin, if not a high genin. You needed experience and lead a troop. His father was a jonin, someone who led a squad but still had abilities above and beyond the standard. Itama was still a genin, someone who helped the team, could run errands and protect himself if the challenge wasn't too hard. Still too young to take on the hardship of responsibilities. No, he was definitely a chunin. But someday, hopefully not too far into the future he'd make jounin. All three of them would if they kept training together.

Naruto had taught Madara how to start with Wind element training, something she already had mastered herself somehow, she had mentioned someone named Kakashi.

Madara still hadn't been able to cut the leaf all the way through, but last meeting he'd made a small cut in the top corner. He had to be very determined, he'd done it in only a couple of weeks. It had taken Hashirama three months to really crumble the stone he'd been practising with when he first started Earth elemental training. And the stone had stayed intact for over a month before any visible change had appeared at all.

Moving his hand over the water, Hashirama concentrated on bending the water upwards, out of the water stream. If only he could make it move like Tobirama, he could create water out of the moisture in the air where there was no water. Not a lot, certainly not enough to harm anyone, but where there was water he was the best in the entire clan, and he was only ten years old, only a little less than two years younger than himself.

Slowly the water attached itself to the palm of his hand. Concentrating, he lifted his hand, the water followed as he lifted his hand higher and higher. It stayed.

He tried to lift more water, making the water thread thicker. It was thick as a branch by now. His eyes were fixed on the water as he tried to move his hand from side to side. The water made a funny S-shape, and he moved backwards, wanting to move the water further from the stream.

And tripped.

His concentration broke as he stumbled on something behind his right leg, and was soaked with the water he'd just been moving about.

"Gyahaha! Brother, you have to be more aware of your surroundings!" Laughed Itama from somewhere behind him. Looking for what he'd stumbled over Hashirama saw a thick root sticking up from the ground. "Where did that come from?" He wondered aloud, he couldn't remember seeing it earlier…

"Itama is right Hashirama, but good work! You're getting better really fast now. Last week you only got it up to your chest, brother." Said Tobirama.

Hashirama had noticed them coming, but for the life of him he hadn't noticed the rather thick root sticking up from the ground. Had he done that? He'd tried to use some of the earth tricks just now to stabilize the water. Earth was all about solidness, Water was about flow. His dad could use Earth, Water and a little Wind, but he'd never seen him make roots appear before.

Wondering if anything like that had happened before with people who used both Earth and Water element he decided he had to be mistaken, Madara did call him a klutz every time they met after all.

"You're right, Tobi. I should watch where I'm going more closely."

* * *

Madara was getting very tired, they'd ran all the way from the Uchiha village to the boarders of Senju land.

Now they had to put up exploding tags around the trees and boulders and wait for the Senju. Hopefully it would be one of the members who was going to Karonichi Village on some errand or another. It was a few hours away, but the Senju made sure the Uchiha couldn't do any business with them.

They had constant watch around that civilian village so the Uchiha had to run a whole day to get to the closest village they could trade with instead. There once had been a village only an hour away, Itaka or something like that, but that had burned to the ground years ago.

Attaching his twenty third exploding tag to the underside of some funny looking roots he looked to where Izuna and Katsu had headed to. His brother was attaching them to the underside of a boulder while Katsu was high up one of the branches in case they went through the trees.

Izuna looked over at him, and Madara signed for him to come over. Katsu followed when he noticed Izuna moving away.

When they were huddled together Madara continued signing his orders. He might not be the oldest, or have activated his Sharingan, but he was the strongest, and therefore team leader for this mission.

_'We'll hide now. By the stream, it's far enough away and we'll keep watch from there.'_

_'What if they follow the stream?'_ Signed Katsu.

_'Doubt it. It's not a straight stream, it bends back and forth and trees grow in tight water. It's a good place to hide.'_ Madara signed back. The two others nodded, and all of them disappeared as they pelted towards the stream.

They'd done this before of course. The trick was to hide their chakra signature enough and camouflage themselves best they could, so they wouldn't be noticed. Hopefully the Senju wouldn't see the tags before the explosion went off, and they got killed or wounded enough for them to be easy targets.

It was risky to the extreme. The Senju sent out sensors many times a day to avoid traps like this. But usually in the morning, noon, and evening. His father was also distracting the Senju by the western borders while they were in the south. Hopefully most of the sensors would head that way while they took out a few Senju here.

He wondered who'd be the unlucky one today. A child? A brother?

Trying to shake of the guilt ridden thoughts he sat down to watch. Avoiding the water since they could end up staying here for a while, and the nights could get chilly if you got wet.

Sending Madara, Izuna and Katsu was of course because all three were good at hiding. Katsu was good at suppressing his chakra, so good in fact he could touch you and you'd still not notice his signature. Madara and Izuna were above average in hiding their chakra, but most of all they were small enough to hide effectively.

Hidden behind moss and branches, crouching on rocks that was big enough to stick out of the stream Madara took the first watch.

All of them had to stay awake of course, but one was always assigned as the watchdog.

The watchdog was the person who had to concentrate the most, keep all other thoughts out of his head for a certain amount of time. You were not allowed to think about anything but what was happening around you. If a snail moved twenty feet away, you were supposed to notice it, and inform the others if it looked slightly off color and potentially be a trap.

Keeping this up was actually quite tiring, so every hour they swapped. Izuna was next after Madara, and when Katsu took over after that but they still hadn't seen anyone. Maybe all of them had gone to take out the threat by the western border. They had to stay until someone came close enough no matter what. Even if it was the sensors. They would notice the tags at once of course.

That's why they had to make a circle of exploding tags around them. Far enough away that it wouldn't hurt them, but still enough to make the Senju weary to approach.

Madara sat with his shoulder meeting Katsu's right and Izuna's left. They sat in a triangle to watch all directions. Madara was steadily growing bored.

His mind was drifting, wondering what Hashirama and Naruto were doing. Probably at home sleeping like they should have been as well. He wondered where Naruto stayed, she'd never told them where she went after their meetings.

Hashirama said he'd have to go home. He had at least one brother, maybe more for all Madara knew, and most likely a mother and a father. Naruto said she was alone. Did she live in a village? Or did she mean completely alone?

In a tent somewhere around here for example. Probably not here though. The Senju would have chased the girl off if they noticed strangers in their lands. They were just as weary of outsiders as the Uchiha was.

That thought calmed him a little. It would have been horrible if Naruto came running through here and got caught in the blast. Hashirama would be with his own clan, or family. Probably family. There was some smaller families of shinobi next to Uchiha and Senju lands. They were lesser these days.

Some had fled because they'd been forced to take sides in the war between the Senju and Uchiha. But a few lived just far enough away to have been spared the ordeal, those had stayed, while the rest had taken sides. They had all been killed at this point.

The Senju were lethal, and only members of the Uchiha could stand against them for so many years. The poor shinobi families hadn't stood a chance against their opponents. The last who died who'd sided with the Uchiha had been a seasoned shinobi named Umuna Kato. He had started hating the Senju as much as the Uchiha after losing his two sons, his daughter and his wife in battles. He had gone down only last year, and the Uchiha had honoured him by burying him and his family together with their own fallen Uchiha members in their graveyard. In a place of honour as thanks for their sacrifice.

Madara had liked Kato, he was strong and knew many of the more difficult fire jutsu, which he had learned from one of his friends amongst the Uchiha when he was a kid. He had taught Madara and Izuna when they were little how to do those when everyone else was busy or out in battle. Madara had actually cried when he learned that he was dead, but only when he was safely in his room alone.

Suddenly Katsu tensed up, both Madara and Izuna looked instantly towards him. Without moving his gaze away he swiftly he started signing. _'Two o'clock. Three Senju.'_

Looking in the described direction Madara saw them. Two on the ground, one up in the trees. They didn't look like sensors. They were moving too fast for that.

_'On my signal.'_ Signed Madara, and the other two nodded. They wanted them to be surrounded by the explosion tags before they released them, that way there would be less chance of escaping, more chance of getting blown apart.

Twenty-four, Twenty-three, twenty-two. One of them looked around, while the one up of the tree hurried a little, wanting to stay closer to the guys on the ground. Perfect.

Nineteen, eighteen—

_**BOOOOM!** _

For a moment Madara didn't understand what on earth had happened. But all three of them looked in horror as the explosion went off prematurely.

Shit! They had to get out of here, they'd been discovered! How the hell had they managed to set them off?

Madara didn't need to sign that they were going to retreat, all three of them bolted as quickly as they could in the opposite direction. Hell bent on fleeing.

"OVER THERE!" Shouted one of the Senju, a boy or something. But Madara didn't turn to investigate. Keeping their heads low and running as fast as they could, they heard another small explosion going off somewhere further to the west.

What was going on? They hadn't put up anything there.

And then another explosion went off from the east.

"What…?" Madara heard Katsu say from a little ahead of him. Madara had to run slower than normal even though his instinct was telling him to hurry the hell up, but above all else he had to make sure Izuna, who was the slowest, stayed safe.

Explosion after explosion lit up the forest from every direction. But so far they hadn't been hit. Yet.

Someone else must have put them up. They must have been seen or something. Expected them to run in a different direction. What did he know, and right now Madara had little time to ponder the idea.

An explosion went off behind them, in the spot they'd just run past, missing them by a hair, but luckily the explosion efficiently cut off their pursuers.

This… This was…

He didn't know… Were they trying to take them down, or the Senju? Whomever was setting off explosions seemed to be doing it blindly. His ears was by now ringing from the noise. Hell, they had to hear this all the way to the Uchiha village.

Another explosion right behind them. Madara felt the back of his sandals melt from the heat, but kept going. Now half dragging his brother as they ran.

But then the explosion that didn't hit them made sure the Senju were losing distance. It was working to their favour.

Madara stopped caring about what the hell was going on, intent on nothing but getting the furthest away from here as humanly possible.

* * *

Naruto watched as Madara, his little brother and the third guy disappeared in the distance. She had been tracking them for a while after she'd felt Madara's signature close to her hideout around nightfall. At first she thought he had noticed her as well, but when she looked out from the cave, it was only to see him running away with two others.

Following at a distance she had eventually seen them stopping by the boarders of Senju land, and Naruto instantly knew they were on a dirty mission. Understanding what would happen when they started putting up exploding tags she'd started setting up her own traps. Hoping it would be enough to prevent anyone getting killed.

She understood that Madara wouldn't refuse his mission.

He was a shinobi, and even if he wasn't the evil, insane, ancient bastard she'd first met, he was still a soldier in a war — one who would never betray his family. It still didn't stop her from being disappointed. He wanted a better world too.

Killing the Senju wouldn't do that, quite the opposite.

On the other hand, Hashirama wasn't doing much better. He still killed to save his family. Their mentality still soaked in the blood of their dead family members. They could both see the light, but in these times, being a ninja, you had to be the strongest bully on the playground to stay alive.

She watched as the Senju gave up their pursuit, when the oldest one of them fell face first after tripping on one of her ninja wire traps. Naruto was pleased with the confusion she'd created, and that no one seemed to have recognised each other.

Hashirama came running over to the old man with the third person as another explosion went off.

The Senju thought it was the Uchiha, while Uchiha thought it was the Senju.

Maybe that wasn't so great, but at least no one was killed. Deciding she had ruined enough of the scenery she stopped activating the seals. Her Senju friend was still in sight, dusting off his clothes while one of the others swore loudly about their rivalling clan.

Now all she had to do, was sneak away without being discovered. Talk about being sidetracked. She'd just wanted to eat her dinner and go to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> This is a looong chapter for me, with a lot of rambling. I couldn't decide where to cut it. 8 500 words in fact. I felt there was too little action at first, so cutting it would make it… Don't know… incomplete? At least it was a difficult one to write.
> 
> Thank you to those who have commented or is following the story. It makes me really happy!


	5. Whiteout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 04.16: This chapter has been beta'd by Jayden-the-Jaded who does a wonderful job every time. Thank you!

**Chapter four – Whiteout**

_Whiteout occurs when the sky and snow assume a uniform whiteness, making the horizon indistinguishable and eliminating the contrast between visible objects both near and far. The observer loses all sense of perspective._

* * *

Hashirama corrected her grip and showed Naruto for a fourth time how she was supposed to throw the rock so it would skip over the creek. "See, if you just ease your wrist a little it will cross. You're not throwing a shuriken you know." He teased.

As if he'd done it all his life, he skipped the stone over the water surface until it was caught by Madara who stood on the other side.

"Nice throw." He said cheekily, studying the stone's shape and weight. Looking at it for a little while longer, he grasped it firmly before sending it back across the water, Naruto catching it after the fourth skip.

"That's a good stone. It's made for water skipping." He said smiling back at them, one hand resting on his hip while he waited for her to try again.

"Okay, I'll definitely get it this time..." Promised Naruto as she concentrated on doing the wrist movement as Hashirama had just demonstrated. The Senju moved backwards and gave her an encouraging smile while she got ready.

Aiming towards Madara, not too low so it would pummel into the water, she tried to flick it.

It skipped once, twice, thrice and four times before it landed in the spot Madara's foot had been a moment earlier.

"Yatta!" She shouted and did a victory jump on the spot. Hashirama laughed while Madara snorted at her ecstatic behaviour while he bent down to pick up her rock.

"Good job, Naruto! Now try it again, it would be cool if we all could throw it so the one on the other side can catch it!" Exclaimed Hashirama as he handed her another stone at the same time as he caught the previous one Madara had just sent back. They continued throwing stones, and after a couple of misses Naruto didn't mess up anymore.

Eventually Madara grew bored and bullied the others into sparring instead.

Hashirama and Madara had realised when it came to taijutsu they were on an even footing with Naruto.

While she could do a lot of fancy ninjutsu, her taijutsu style reminded them of an angry cat sometimes. Not a lot of planning which was compensated with good instinctive movements and a huge amount of dedication.

The boys were sparring while Naruto did chakra exercises instead, watching the guys while they tried their hardest to knock the other unconscious. It reminded her of herself and Sasuke once upon a time. Except these two didn't actually want to kill each other. Not yet at any rate.

Naruto couldn't comprehend how two such good friends were avoiding telling each other their real names out of fear it would all go up in smoke. Like every ninja in all the five nations they only introduced themselves by their first names and no family name.

Hashirama had to realise that she knew who he was, but still hadn't said a word about it. That was probably just because Madara was always around to overhear though.

Sighing she got up when they both managed to hit the underside of their jaws at the exact same time, both falling backwards with a grunt.

"Alright, who's ready to get their ass kicked next?" She exclaimed while they both shot her an annoyed glare.

* * *

Looking at the village Naruto couldn't make up her own mind. Was it stressful, bad or simply depressing?

The buildings were composed of plain wooden facades with small square windows, and the people were unusually quiet around here. Naruto wondered why she had that opinion, it was just a feeling even though the streets looked busy enough.

The civilians walked at a steady pace doing their errands, and there was the sound of sellers shouting out to them to buy fish, dango or similar things.

Listening closer she realised what it was; there was a lack of humming. That buzzing sound that occurred when a lot of people talk at once in the background. Everyone seemed set on their course here. With one goal and purpose without sidetracking for small talk.

There was also no children. At all.

For a moment Naruto wondered if there simply was a very high percentage of adults, or they simply let them stay at home while shopping.

_'Such a nice atmosphere…'_ Naruto thought sarcastically.

Karonichi village must at some point in time have been quite a charming place to live. They had a lot of beautiful nature here. Trees growing along the streets and gardens which today lacked care.

She could imagine what it was supposed to be though, and it wasn't this.

Walking aimlessly for a few steps, she contacted Kurama. _'Anything?'_ Naruto asked the two Kuramas within her mindscape.

He had stayed merged for a long while now. A hole month and was getting more used to the yang overload. Now however he needed a break, which led her to be a little confused when she talked to him like this. Not sure if she should refer him as one, or two.

_'No… Nothing so far. But that's not unexpected is it?'_ Said the largest.

_'I guess not… Where should I head towards? We've been through the resident district already. Should we just go into every store and see if something feels off?'_

The two Kuramas looked at each other, the smallest and lighter one turned to Naruto and grumbled. _'Might as well, but maybe you should make some clones again, to speed up the process.'_

Coming back to herself again she hid behind some buildings to do the Kage Bunshin. Naruto had already made the mistake before of preforming the clone technique in the open within a civilian village.

The result had been absolute pandemonium. Ninja were in general very low on their wish-list of visitors in most civilian areas.

Her clones Henged into different people, all of them people she'd once met, like Omoi from Kumo, or Temari from Suna. But never those she'd known the best. Naruto had problems seeing them walking around knowing they were just her own clones mocking their absence.

Seeing Karin and Genma walk into the first two stores, Naruto took the third while the rest scattered out after her.

After an hour of looking through the village with the use of fifty clones, Naruto decided she had searched thoroughly enough. Black Zetsu was definitely not in Karonichi Village. At least not right now.

It's not like she had suspected him to be there. It was just tiring to keep this up without results. If Black Zetsu was around then she would feel his evil intentions even if she wasn't in biju mode. She just needed to be close enough for him to register.

Being faced with Kurama's chakra for so long with an open seal, had made her better at sensing than she'd ever been in her previous time line. It might also have something to do with the fact that she was growing up again. Growing while mixing her chakra constantly with Kurama's in small doses.

At least that's what the fox thought. Naruto had never been good at understanding that sort of stuff.

_'We have to move soon. Black Zetsu is not in these areas. Sooner rather than later we'll have to leave the Land of Fire again. I'd vote for right now, but I'm guessing you're not going to agree to that.'_ The fox said as they headed towards the exit.

She didn't like the idea, but she knew he was telling the truth, they had to search more efficiently. The way they'd been working before running into Itama. _'I know… We've been combing the areas around the Senju and Uchiha village all the way up to Karonichi Village for ages. Still… I can't leave, I said I was going to become their friend, and friends don't leave without a warning you know.'_

The largest fox rolled his eyes, while the smaller one grumbled in annoyance. _'Why not? I swear you humans are too damn emotional, even the stoic ones who usually turn out to be the worst of them all. Go back to the river and say bye to the boys.'_

_'I'm not leaving right now! I said I had to make sure Madara's brother stayed alive, didn't I?'_

_'So you're going to abandon the search for Black Zetsu to babysit a brat? Seriously Naruto. Get a fucking grip. There's only so much you can do. We'll come back as soon as we capture Black Zetsu.'_ Kurama growled as she passed through the entrance gates.

_'I'll have to say goodbye first. I can't just disappear. You know, I think this might be the reason some of your siblings have a problem with you. I'd be pissed if my brother just took off without a word.'_

Kurama snorted loudly, clearly disagreeing with that theory and still looked as undeterred as ever. _'Fine brat, but it'll have to be soon. We have yet to find a trace of that ink blotch.'_

* * *

Madara walked home from the creek after his meeting with Hashirama. It was late afternoon and they'd spent a long time skipping rocks to one another. Naruto hadn't showed up today either, she'd been gone for a few days now.

Hashirama had been teaching Naruto how to skip stones lately, and the girl had gotten good at it quickly. The boy with the idiotic haircut was a better teacher than Naruto by miles.

Madara smiled as he reminisced about the day, after skipping rocks and understanding that Naruto wasn't going to show up, Hashirama and he had done a lot training before finishing the day with a spar. It had been a tie, both knocking out the other. Sore and bruised again, but in high spirits Madara chuckled as he thought of their rivalry.

For some reason it had intensified after Naruto showed up, both stressing to catch up with her, which led to them both getting stronger in record time. He had improved in leaps with his Wind element, the leaf having finally severed earlier that day. Madara just wished Naruto had been there so he could have rubbed in how good he was.

It felt like an entirely different world down by the stream, like that Tsuki no Me Naruto had told them about. Where things just went like they themselves desired it to.

He chuckled to himself at the idea, but then turned sad at the thought of Hashirama and Naruto not being real. He wondered when he'd become such an emotional pantsy. He must have been spending too much time around Hashirama and his constantly switching mood.

"Big bro." Came a voice of his little brother from in front of him.

"Oh, Izuna. What's u-" He trailed off at the serious gleam in his brother's eyes.

"Um, just… Do you want to go home together?"

* * *

Hashirama left the house after his father dismissed him.

He was at an utter loss for what to do.

They knew… They knew about Madara… And Madara was an Uchiha. According to his father he was one of the people who'd killed his clansmen.

Not sure if he should crumble into a ball and sulk, cry or be furious he looked around. What was he supposed to do now? Spy on Madara as his father had commanded?

Kill him?

There was no way he could do that. And Naruto… They didn't know about her.

When Tobirama was spying on them he must have been there one of the last few days, when she'd been absent. If only it had been Madara instead….

He took out the stone he still carried from earlier in the afternoon.

He was intending to throw it as hard as possible, he just wanted to break something. There was so much anger inside him. Madara was an Uchiha, a damned Uchiha!

Why couldn't he have been of the Hagaromo clan?! They at least weren't the Senju's archenemy!

Desperation gripped him, and for a moment he was blinded by white hate as he clutched the stone.

Then he thought of Madara again, and he was so very sorry. Sorry that he would have to betray his best friend. He couldn't go against his family, they had a right to be angry just as much as the Uchiha was. But Hashirama still felt like some part of him was crumbling.

Gripping the stone hard, hoping it would crush just to ease some of his tension, he felt himself calm down. This was a perfect stone… Madara had called it 'made for skipping'.

Maybe… Maybe he could do something about this, even if his dad and Tobirama went with him tomorrow he might just be able to warn Madara without being caught.

* * *

Standing on the opposite shore Madara met Hashirama's eyes. The brown haired boy seemed tense as he looked back at him, it didn't help when he smiled uncertainly and waved.

"Hi Madara, you know what? Catch this." He said and took out a stone from the inside of his pocket strapped around his leg, it was something both of them had picked up from Naruto's strange fashion sense.

Hashirama looked from side to side. Was he looking for Naruto?

"Just hang on, let me find a stone to skip over too." Answered Madara and looked around for a suitable stone, the perfect stone he'd found last week that Naruto had lost amongst the rocks in the river during one of her failed attempts.

Grabbing after one that looked flat and smooth he leaned up again and grinned back at Hashirama, pondering why he still looked like something had been stuck up his ass.

"You know, this would be a good way to greet each other." Said Madara throwing the rock in the air a few times to test the weight and form while Hashirama looked on silently.

Both of them wondering where Naruto was, and Hashirama was praying she wouldn't show up today. This was a big enough mess with only Madara involved.

"Sure." Answered Hashirama and they got their respective stones ready to be skipped. With trained persistence the stones flew across the water, passed each other in the middle, and Madara and Hashirama skillfully caught the other's stone on the opposite side.

Madara looked down at the smooth rock in his hand, it had something scribbled on it. Curiously he wondered what it said and suddenly felt his blood run cold.

_'Leave now, it's a trap.'_ Was scraped into the surface of the stone. He clutched it tightly and met Hashirma's eyes which he suddenly realised weren't stiff, but scared.

_'It was a trap? What was it? Someone was attacking? Why wasn't Hashirama saying anything? Why had he scribbled it on a stone?'_

Madara felt his stomach twist as the meaning sank in. _'It meant he couldn't talk… It meant they were here...'_

"You know, I just remembered I have stuff to do, see you another time, Hashirama." Said Madara and turned on the spot. Hashirama copied him with a strained expression. "Sure, I don't want to keep you!" He shouted, at the same moment they leapt away from each other. Madara's mind raising in confusion and fear.

At that moment he felt movements behind him, someone was running after him across the water.

Looking over his shoulder he saw them, two Senju and Hashirama in the background looking horrified back at them.

Recognising Senju Butsuma catching up to him with his chokutō raised, Madara did the only thing he could think of - he ducked.

Rolling sideways as the blade sank into the soft soil next to his head, he heard Hashirama shout at them to stop.

Madara was on the ground with Butsuma above him, his weapon ready to strike again. With speed he started preparing a wind ninjutsu he'd mastered the evening before, it was the only thing that came to mind. The attack never fired though, since out of nowhere Naruto stood right in between them.

Fast as lightning she grabbed a hold of Butsuma's wrist, twitching it in an awkward angle that made him stagger backwards.

The young boy at Butsama's heel prepared to strike, but before he could do much more than hold his blade threateningly, Hashirama had grabbed him from behind, dragging him backwards away from Naruto.

"Leave." Said Naruto with ice in her voice. She wasn't holding any weapons, and Madara had no idea why Butsuma looked scared.

Hashirama was sweating bullets as he held the spiky haired boy away from them. Madara wasn't sure if Hashirama was protecting himself or the boy.

Looking up at the back of Naruto's head he got to his feet, dusting off the sand from the shore while trying to figure out what was happening.

Clearly these guys were after him. He was an Uchiha and they were Senju. It didn't explain Hashirama knowing about it though.

Naruto was protecting him, and they seemed afraid of going up against her. They had never showed mercy towards other shinobi who sided with the Uchiha in the past. So why did they completely ignore Hashirama and look hesitant to attack Naruto?

Looking from the armor clad Senju man over to Hashirama he started feeling sick. _'It couldn't be… That Hashirama... was…'_

"I said leave!" Growled Naruto so coldly Madara was taken aback. Naruto was one of the two cheeriest people he'd ever met. He'd never imagined she could make such a sound.

Butsuma got a grip on himself and had his sword prepared to strike again. This time at Naruto.

"DAD! Stop it! Naruto has never done anything! She saved Itama!" Hashirama shouted desperately from behind him.

Madara swallowed, looking back at Hashirama.

_No… No…_ Please, _no..._

Madara was completely defenceless. He had no weapons on him. Only ninjutsu to protect himself against one of the most feared warriors of the Senju clan and a small blonde girl who for some reason seemed to scare the living daylight out of the Senju.

"Naruto? This is Namikaze Naruto? Why the hell is she protecting the Uchiha brat? Itama said she had no hesitation striking them down that night." Muttered Butsuma with a deep stern voice, not taking his eyes off Naruto and Madara.

"She didn't know… Neither of us ever told her our last name." Muttered Hashirama dejectedly while the boy in his clutches struggled even more.

"Let go brother! We have to help father!" The brat growled angrily.

"What are you?" Asked Butsuma confused.

This was not the question Madara was expecting at all. Naruto was plainly a girl. True, there were few girls with such talent as she did. But still, Madara had seen plenty of kunoichi in the Senju clan…

There had to be something Naruto had done to set them off like that.

"I'm Naruto, and I'm also the one who's going to prevent anyone getting killed here." She answered, calming down and going emotionless. She looked back at Madara and he felt his voice choke in his throat.

Her eyes was blazing red with pitch black slits where her once sky blue eyes had been. She gave him a short glance. "Run, Madara."

The whisker marks on her chins seemed to have intensified, becoming more rugged and wild looking. Madara found himself thinking the same thing Senju Butsuma had done.

_'What are you?'_

"Big bro!" Shouted suddenly a high pitched voice from the bushed behind him. In horror Madara saw Izuna coming running towards him.

"No! Stay away! Go back, Izuna!" Shouted Madara, rapidly growing panicked. This was potentially a deadly situation. Izuna could get hurt, he could get killed!

Who was on his side? Naruto seemed to be for the time being. But she had saved a Senju, Hashirama's younger brother. Maybe the brat he was keeping away from them. Apparently at the cost of the Uchiha. Hashirama was Senju Butsuma's son, but seemed unwilling to side with either of them.

Izuna didn't listen and came up to him with a stony face, a chokutō ready and all the killing intent he could muster.

Madara felt so confused. He was skipping rocks just a few minutes ago. How could things have changed so drastically in such a short amount of time?

"I was going to thank you for your deed when I met you, but clearly I see your loyalty must have changed." Said Butsuma but still didn't attack.

"We're three on three, we can beat them." Said the kid wrestling with his older brother.

"No!" Shouted Hashirama. "Naruto is a lot stronger than me!"

Madara nodded, it was true, but could she beat a seasoned Senju soldier?

"We'll take them down, big bro. You're Tobirama, right?" Said Izuna, looking at the boy who finally got loose from his brothers grasp.

"And you're Izuna." Spat the kid named Tobirama, looking annoyed back at his brother instead of Izuna.

"There will be no fighting!" Growled Naruto and pointed threateningly at the Senju. "I told you all to get the hell away. I have a lot of tricks I never showed Hashirama and Madara. You do not want me to get pissed off, dattebayo!" Exclaimed Naruto, now standing more in between them then covering Madara and Izuna.

"Shame… You could have made a good ally to the Senju..." Muttered Butsuma. "But unfortunately I will have to kill you as well. Even if you did save my son."

"I'm not an ally of either clans! I'm Hashirama, Itama and Madara's friend. I don't give a damn where they were born! You just plotted to assassinate your son's twelve year old friend! I won't allow it!" She said and looked hard at Hashirama who seemed at a loss for what to do.

Madara sympathized.

"Don't dad… We'll… we can't… You owe Naruto this… She saved Itama..." Whispered Hashirama. "She's not lying, she'll protect, Madara. Naruto always keeps her word." He stated insistently. His father halted, looking thoughtful and sighed. It looked like he was going to agree.

"You're a Senju…" Said Madara, looking torn over at Hashirama, finding his voice at last. Hashirama nodded looking hard back at Madara.

"Then it was just an illusion after all..." Muttered Madara.

Shifting from foot to foot Naruto turned her head towards Madara instead. Her odd eyes unnerved him, he couldn't look at them; they made her look like some sort of demon.

"I guess we were just fooling ourselves. Konoha is just the Tsuki no Me. Just a child's dream." He added looking down at his feet. He was seeing his mother getting stabbed over and over again inside his head. Butsuma looked so much like his brother it was painful. Both had that emotionless face.

His face twisted in worry as Hashirama gesturing wildly with his hands while shouting; "No! You can't give up!"

"Madara..." Naruto said with trepidation.

"I… Can't forget… I won't forgive… The Senju is the worst of them all..." Madara muttered through gritted teeth. He felt his eyes burn, like they were about to catch on fire. His hands was clutched into fists so tightly his knuckles was going white while he tried to stop the fire from hurting, to calm himself down.

Slowly he looked up, and Hashirama's mouth opened in shock as Madara's eyes turned from black to blood red right in front of them.

"The next time we meet Hashirama, it will be on the battlefield. And then you will address me as Uchiha Madara!" He shouted furiously.

"No..." Said Naruto, looking afraid for the first time, her eyes trailing from Madara to Hashirama.

"Your eyes… Brother, your eyes are the Sharingan!" Exclaimed Izuna looking up at him.

"Stop it Madara… You said you were in." Said Naruto, clearly getting angry again.

"I was wrong." Answered Madara and finally looked her in the eyes. "You dream of a place where Senju and Uchiha get along. Did you know? Did you know who we were? Was that why you tried to manipulate us?!" He said getting angry at her instead.

"I never made you do anything! You were friends long before I came into the picture!" Naruto shouted back.

He looked swiftly away from her unnerving eyes, she didn't look like Naruto when she had those. Just another hateful red glare. Madara had enough of those at home.

"You can go wherever you want. You have no one to tie you down. You will never understand the pain like we do. Can you imagine trying to be friends with the ones who destroyed your village? Killed your friends and family? I'm not seeing you make much of an effort to be friends with them!" He said pointing at Naruto accusingly.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." Answered Naruto so furiously Madara stepped backwards. Her eyes seemed to blaze even harder than before.

"Does this mean you're on our side?" Asked Butsuma looking amused down at the blonde.

Naruto's head whirled around to the oldest Senju, and Madara was suddenly scared.

What had he just said? Of course Naruto knew what it felt like to lose someone. He just made his only ally angry with him… This was Naruto, of course she didn't manipulate — she was just being her usual self. Trying to grasp at hope. Continuing the now dead dream.

"No! I'm not taking either side! Whomever attacks will get knocked unconscious!" She said frustrated.

Butsuma smiled sceptically, he looked like he didn't take her seriously anymore. Madara was also uncertain Naruto wasn't just boasting to scare everyone. Her eyes didn't seem to do more than confirm how pissed off she was.

"Well then..." He said and raised his sword again, pointing it at Madara without emotion. "I'll deal with this myself."

A faint pop was heard from further down the river, and despite all battle protocol drilled into them everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound where a cloud of dust was swirling. As if a Kage Bunshin had just evaporated, and then they looked back to the blonde again.

Unnerved, they all watched as Naruto's eyes transformed into a new form.

Going from slits to a thick horizontal line.

The glowing red turned into yellow, and suddenly she was gone and Butsuma lay unconscious on the ground.

The movement had been so fast Madara barely managed to track it with his eyes, and even with the Sharingan he hadn't caught half of it.

The remaining four people tensed up as she looked away from the unconscious Senju to Madara.

"I suggest you leave, Madara." She stated harshly, sounding more like an order than a request.

These eyes weren't as terrifying as the last ones, but something about them screamed power. He could see it with his Sharingan. The air around her eyes seemed to tremble, and red markings had appeared on her eyelids.

He hesitated for a split second. His eyes travelling from Naruto to Hashirama. And in that moment he knew this was it. They were finished, and when he left there would be no return to the river. No sun filled days of laugher, plans and dreams. No Hashirama. No Naruto. No Konoha.

His throat suddenly painfully dry he nodded once, grabbed a hold of Izuna's wrist and Madara left at a sprint. Not looking back.

* * *

 

Pissed out of her mind Naruto watched Madara's retreating back. This was so not how she wanted to say goodbye to him.

She let go of the strap of Butsuma's armor so he fell gently to the ground while releasing her senjutsu. This was something she still struggled greatly with, not as much as the Kyūbi chakra, but still enough to make her sore all over. It had been necessary to take down Hashirama's father without anyone else getting hurt though.

Hashirama came slowly forwards while little Tobirama was looking open mouthed at her with eyes as large as dinner plates.

It was so odd to see the boy who later became the second Hokage tremble in fear.

Hashirama didn't say anything as he looked down at his father, only relieved to see he was simply knocked out. "What did you do?" he asked while bending over his father to see what had made him black out.

"I just hit his neck. It's enough to knock anyone out for a little while. He should be awake in no time." She answered quietly. Hashirama was glad to see her eyes had turned blue again.

"What will you do now? I'm sorry for this… I didn't know Madara was an Uchiha," He said with worry.

"Does it matter that he is an Uchiha? Isn't this what we talked about? Members across clans getting along, being best friends without any hate?" She asked, ignoring his first question.

"I know… But now… You just made yourself very unpopular amongst my clan." He said, peeking up at Tobirama who had collected himself as he listened.

"I know, but it was necessary. I'll be going away now, anyway. I was actually coming here to say goodbye to you both."

"What?! No, you said- You said you would never give up!" He exclaimed as Naruto started turning away.

She halted and looked back at her friends with a determined expression. "I haven't, I will do everything I can to stop this. But right now… There's nothing I can do... I need to grow stronger. Madara will, and you too Hashirama. You'll forever be one of my precious people. You do your part, and I'll do mine. But before I go there's one thing..." She said and lowered her voice so only Hashirama heard her.

"Madara loves his brother… Make sure he doesn't get killed, or Madara will never come around. He loves his brother more than anything, and you've heard of the Uchiha curse of hatred, right? Will you do as I ask?" She asked silently.

Hashirama nodded dejectedly while Naruto put her hand on his shoulder. "You'll be great Senju Hashirama, and we'll build Konoha like we dreamed. It might just be a little later then we wanted."

"Be safe, Naruto. Come back soon, okay?" Hashirama said sadly, his eyes glazed as he looked back at her, Naruto chuckled when he for once didn't crumble into a ball of depression since he didn't get his way.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Hashirama. Keep your family safe, and we'll knock some sense back into Madara one of these days. Say hi to Itama from me, okay?" She said and smiled widely.

Hashirama couldn't help but feel his spirit rise again, while a tear escaped from the corner of his right eye. "Yeah. I might just do the whole job before you come back, in fact, I'll start the next time I see him."

Naruto laughed loudly, and with a nod towards Tobirama, and a small, "Thank you." to Hashirama, she disappeared as fast as she'd appeared.

* * *

Madara was walking as fast as he could without actually running, which meant that Izuna who was both shorter in heigh had to jog to keep up. It wasn't the tempo he was worried about though.

"Big bro! Why aren't we running? He's down, we should run before he can wake up!" Izuna exclaimed as they moved over a large stub inside the forest, slowly gaining more and more distance from the shore. Madara was thinking too hard to listen to him.

Hashirama was a Senju, and Naruto had attacked the Uchiha at least once. Still neither had wanted them hurt. That was something at the very least...

"What were you doing there, Izuna? You were hiding in the bushes!" Madara snapped and looked hard at his little brother. It was unfortunate that Izuna was here, since that meant there was no one else Madara could be angry with.

Izuna looked worriedly up at his older sibling, his eyes still having that serious gleam. "Dad told me to trail you, you've been out so much lately, big bro! He wanted to make sure that Naruto girl who borrowed our book was safe, so I went to spy on you yesterday and today. We were trying to figure out who the other boy was… I guess we know now." He finished uncertainly as his brother's eyes went hard.

"Spy? Shit… Am I in trouble Izuna?" He asked looking away as they started moving through the thicker part of the forest.

Izuna was unsure how the situation was now, he couldn't imagine Madara being punished for not knowing the name of who he was sparring with, but he had still been spending a lot of time with their number one enemy.

"I don't know..."

* * *

Tobirama had always been the best at strategies amongst the Senju brothers.

He'd proven this very early when he'd led the younger shinobi of the clan to victory against four Uchiha at the age of nine. It had been thanks to his keen observation skills more than his ninjutsu abilities that had saved the six children's lives, all of them younger then himself.

This was also why he was studying his brother's every move today. They were heading towards the mountain pass south east of their lands, where they already knew the Uchiha were waiting at full force.

He knew now—since his brother had told him everything— that Madara was going to be a problem.

He would definitely be there if what his brother had told him about his skills were true. Hell, Itama was going with them for crying out loud. Their youngest brother had been just as upset about what occurred at the creek as Hashirama was, and furious at his brother for not telling him beforehand.

Itama just couldn't imagine Naruto going against their father.

Now however Tobirama was more worried about his older brother. There was no way Madara wouldn't stand with his clan.

It would be a black day. He already knew it, and Hashirama had asked him to protect Itama, while Hashirama protected him. Who would protect Hashirama hadn't come up, but Tobirama idly wondered if not Naruto would show up again.

She had infuriated him that day months ago during the confrontation with the Uchiha leader's family. Looking back now he respected her. She was exactly the same type of person his brother was. Refusing to let them attack each other.

Wasn't that what Hashirama wanted as well? He always talked about sheltering the youngest from the horrors of the war. Not wanting them to go through what he and Tobirama had to deal with growing up.

At the time however, he couldn't believe he was being held down by his own brother while they argued, far less that Naruto had knocked down his dad in less than a second. Butsuma was still highly embarrassed by that.

Tobirama sighed as the mountain pass came into view, and behind them a wall of Uchiha members. Carefully he made sure not to look at their red stares. Meeting the eyes of an Uchiha was a sure defeat.

He heard his brother's breath shudder, and knew he must have spotted Madara. He searched the row for a younger member with long spiky hair, there was quite a few of them.

Eventually he spotted him next to Izuna. Frowning he looked back at Hashirama. His brother's face had gone hard as they marched towards battle, all fifty-one of them.

He wondered how many would return.

"I'll protect you." Said Hashirama suddenly.

"Look after yourself, brother." Answered Tobirma, but knew it would fall on empty ears while loving him all the more for it.

"He's an enemy now, our clan comes first." Said Tobirama, he knew it wasn't necessary, even if his father was still a little in doubt.

"I know." His brother said with a steady voice.

Hashirama looked across the distance to Madara's blank emotionless face. He wondered for a moment if Madara even recognised him. He seemed as alien to him as any of the other members of the clan. The air was filled with killing intent.

Uchiha versus Senju.

Friend against friend.

Brothers fighting brothers.

This was the thoughts running through Hashirama's head as he ignored every warning his father had drilled into him and met Madara's empty, red eyes. The eyes of his bleeding heart.

He thought of Naruto's story, how the brothers were reborn through their respective descendants. Had she been talking about them? Was Madara, in a sense, his brother? A brother not in blood, but in spirit?

Feeling his heart beat hard in his chest, he wondered if she hadn't been right. Maybe… It wasn't just a story. Indra and Ashura… Brothers fighting each other again and again. Dying and coming back to life, living through hatred... Repeat.

The circle of hatred.

* * *

Madara jumped back while throwing his last shuriken at Hashirama's head. He dodged it and came at him with his chokutō raised. With a loud clash the metal met each other.

"Stop." Said Hashirama through gritted teeth. "I won't give up, Madara. You can't beat me."

Madara was using all his strength, but again… They were equal.

"I won't forget." He hissed back as they both jumped from each other. Running through hand signs while Hashirama clapped his hands together, they both shouted.

"Katon: Great fireball Technique!"

"Mokuton!"

Madara couldn't quench the shock that escaped as a gasp through his throat at the sight of the massive roots that clashed against his fireball.

Several of his clansman shouted in astonishment at the unheard of technique.

The wood broke and the fire died out. Madara and Hashirama stared at each other. Both more determined than ever in their convictions.

"You will never beat me." Hashirama stated with clenched teeth.

"What the- What is that?" He hissed back.

" _My_ bloodline, Madara."

And then hundreds of roots came rushing up from the ground, circling in on Madara who panicked and shouted on pure survival instinct: "Katon: Phoenix sage fire technique!"

The flaming balls of heat hit everywhere around him, halting the roots approach while Madara continued.

"Katon: Blast wave wild dance!"

The spiralling flames clashed against the roots and crumbled them to ash.

"I won't ever forget! I'll take you down, Hashirama!"

"Then remember our dream, and come to your senses!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, you're the absolute best!


	6. Monsoon

**Chapter Five – Monsoon**

_Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea. Usually, the term monsoon is used to refer to the rainy phase of a seasonally changing pattern._

* * *

**Four years later...**

Naruto sighed as she walked alone, once again, through the woods.

_'Get a grip Naruto, concentrate on the mission, being down doesn't suit you kit.'_ Scolded Kurama who for over a year had been merged with an overload of yang chakra. It was rare for him these days to split up into his two forms, which was a relief for Naruto who eventually had grown very tired of their constant bickering. Not only to her but amongst themselves too.

_'What mission? Wandering lost though this forsaken, endless forest?'_

_'A better future you infuriating brat!'_

_'Yeah, yeah, yeah… But I'll never find my way out of here, dattebayo. Seriously, doesn't people make roads in this time? How on earth do the civilians move about?'_

_'They don't, idiot. Moving about is asking to get robbed or killed.'_

_'Eh..? We're moving about right now…'_

_'We can take it, anyone who attacks us will get his head on a stick in repayment.'_

_'I'm not putting some dude's head on a stick, dattebayo! Gross!'_

_'You're too soft, brat…'_

_'I have a conscious, thank you very much. I won't kill some desperate and hungry guy just because he hoped I'd have something of worth. Which I don't…'_

_'I already know, but I might do it for you.'_

_'Shut up fureball! We'll knock em' unconscious and be on our way I say.'_

_'Too soft…'_

_'Would you prefer Madara? I swear I'll make him your jinchuriki if you don't shut up about beheading people!'_

Kurama growled alarmingly and the connection between them broke.

_Good, now he can stew on that while I try to find out if I'm walking in_ _circles_ _or not_ _._

It took Naruto a few more days before she had figured out where she was. At least she was on the right track. Naruto had to move further north, but she'd already covered a good amount of distance in the months since she last saw another human being.

Her head filled with the idea of Konoha and all the people she missed she suddenly halted. _'Was that someone's presence I felt there?'_

Looking behind her she concentrated harder. ' _Yes… There is definitely someone lurking in the trees around here.'_

Turning towards the suspected area and putting her hands on her hips she waited for whomever it was to come forth. Naruto had grown quite a bit in the last three years. Now a little older then the day she'd been, when thrown back in time, but much stronger.

"Come out. You've been noticed." She stated impatiently.

The only thing that met her was silence.

Then a figure appeared amongst the bushes looking suspiciously back at her.

Naruto saw he was wearing a blue vest with a plain black attire underneath. It looked similar to the shinobi gear Chūnin had worn in her own time, which was strange since everyone in this time all wore old style clothes. It had taken Naruto a while to adapt to the idea of not being able to wear her old jumpsuit, but after a while she had integrated their style the best she could.

The young man who looked a little younger then herself and was the same hight as her. He used square glasses with a chokutō secured to his belt. His pockets were filled to the brink, probably with kunai and shuriken, and he was a shinobi, no doubt about it.

"Who are you?" He asked cautiously, keeping a good distance between them as he studied her every movement.

"Namikaze, Naruto. And you?" She answered while crossing her hands in front of her. He looked dubiously at her, like always wondering if she was stupid for telling him her family name.

"Kurou." He answered with a soft and calm voice.

"You're getting close to the boarders of Uzushigakure. I suggest you leave, you could get into trouble around here."

She looked him up and down, while he took in her own appearance.

Kurt concluded the new arrival was very obviously a kunoichi. She was wearing a traveling cloak that had been pushed behind her shoulders. He spotted the hilt of a chokutō from underneath the cloak as well as the kunai's fastened to her belt. She had bandaged both hands and a small area around her right leg where a pouch had been secured.

Smart, he thought. Fastening weapons on your upper thigh gave easier access during battle.

Her long slewed haori was tucked the shabby looking obi around her waist, and she wore simple black pants that reached to her shin. He also noticed she'd bandaged her ankles down to the sandals. Probably not to get cut while moving through the forest. Kurou also noticed how dirty she looked. Her clothes looked worn and patched with dried mud. The bandages was stained grey and he concluded it was a while since she'd used a bursh.

"I can take care of myself thank you very much." Naruto answered with a small sideways smile.

"You're obviously a ninja. I can see that, but I'm a boarder guard. I'm telling you to turn around, or I'll have to make you."

She tilted her head to the side. Her long blonde hair getting blown as a harsh wind came rushing in from the ocean.

"Are you from Uzu?" She asked curiously.

"Yes. Now leave, or do I have to make you blondie?" He asked getting fed up with her lack of reaction.

"Hmmm… Hey ginger, I wouldn't make fun of other people with abnormal hair colours if I was you!" Getting red in the face to match his hair, he took a step forwards.

"Careful blondie! I'm a Uzu lieutenant so you better tread carefully!"

"Lieutenant? Not even a commander yet?" She answered coyly. "Isn't that the same as one step above a rookie?" She teased, laughing lightly at his flustered face. He raised his chokutō threateningly and Naruto rose her hand in the air, still giggling.

"I come in peace, oh great lieutenant. Don't be so touchy, dattebayo. I was heading for Uzushigakure. Maybe you could give me some instructions as to how I can prove I don't mean any harm." She said still smiling.

Kurou lowered his blade while looking even more suspicious. Keeping her within his vision he took out a scroll from his back pocket and activated whatever was inside. "What did you do?" She asked unconcerned while Kurama was panicking on the inside.

"I called for backup. If you truly mean no harm then we'll see if you're telling the truth. We have protocols that needs to be followed you know." He said stiffly. Naruto got the feeling she'd met someone who followed the rules to a T. Rolling her eyes they waited in silence.

Three ninja's appeared behind Kurou four minutes later, all of them studying the young woman in front of them.

"This is Namikaze Naruto. She wish to be granted entrance to Uzushigakure." Kurou said to the oldest, a man who looked to be in his late twenties.

"Oh? State your purpose Namikaze-san." He said briskly, crossing his hands in front of him and staring hard back at Naruto with a frown.

Naruto took a step closer, but realised quickly this had been a mistake, since all four tensed up like she'd electrocuted them.

"I mean no harm at all, dattebayo. I'm a wanderer. I've travelled through all five countries many times, and come across many mysterious powers on my journey. I come here in friendship, but also for personal reasons, and I have to admit I'm dying to see your village. I've heard many great things and become curious, and as payment I will give you information I think you'll find very valuable." She said and bowed to show she knew she was asking a lot.

"Information? What sort of information?" He asked and folded his hands in front of him.

"Neh, I wouldn't have anything to bargain with if I told you right now. I might not be the sharpest kunai in the pouch, but I'm not an airhead, dattebayo!" She muttered stubbornly.

The four Uzu ninjas looked at each other before starting discussing in low voices. Not showing she heard every single word they said, she started appreciating the ocean waves.

A little later the oldest stepped forwards again. "Will you submit to a traitor test?" He asked and held up a scroll with a seal drawn on it. Naruto was about to agree when Kurama interrupted.

_'Make sure what it is first, idiot!'_

"Ye- I mean, what does that entail?" She asked.

"We ask you some questions while this seal is activated, then you won't be able to lie." He answered simply.

She thought about the deal. As long as they didn't ask the wrong questions that wouldn't be a problem, but on the other hand, what did she have to hide except being a time traveller? She doubted they'd ask something like that.

Maybe her name could be a problem, but what was really the big deal with stating she was an Uzumaki? They where all most likely related some way or another here.

"Alright, but could you use that thing first so I'm sure it's not a mobile prison or something?" She said cheekily and grinned.

Looking at her annoyed he huffed but complied.

Putting the scroll down on the ground, he activated it with a few hand signs. A circle of script shot out from underneath the scroll, and the man stepped inside. "I Naoki, promise you Naruto, to be released of the traitor seal when we are satisfied, if you mean no harm to Uzushigakure, do not break your promise, and do no harm or damage to anything or anyone within the time of your stay we will consider letting you enter." He said while the seal glowed bright yellow.

Slowly the light and script on the ground sank back into the scroll and Naoki looked back at Naruto. "Okay! I'll do it, dattebayo."

Activating the seal again and indicating for Naruto to step in she eagerly complied. Curious as to how that thing worked. It would have been dead useful for the T & I back in Konoha.

"What is your business in Uzushigakure?" Asked Naoki.

"To warn the main family about a moving threat." She answered before she had time to top herself. Luckily she hadn't said anything more specific. Her eyes widened as the words spilled out. Naruto had the impression this seal only made her tell the truth, it didn't force it. She could stay silent, but whatever said had to be true for it to come out. The four of them tensed up like a hot wire, and came closer.

"Are you a threat?" Naoki pressed. "No, dattebayo!"

"Do you work with, or allied with this threat?"

"No, damn it! I just said I was going to warn you guys!"

"Are you dangerous?"

Naruto wanted to deny it, but the word stopped in her throat. In a way… She was dangerous. She was altering time for crying out loud.

"I… I'm strong...But I'm alone, I have no family or allies. I can't say I'm not dangerous, but I can say I'm not dangerous to Uzushigakure." She said with burning eyes as she looked at Naoki.

Taking deep breaths at her declaration he continued his questioning.

"Where are you from?"

"Fire country."

"Where in the fire country?"

"Konoha."

"Where is that?"

"It doesn't exist any more." She answered angrily, they sure liked to dig for details.

There was a small pause before he continued. "What is the threat?"

But Naruto had enough of this, and stepped out of the seal. "I already told you I wanted to use that as a bargain ship to gain entrance. I just proved I mean no harm. I won't answer that question yet."

Naoki searched for any trace of lies on her face, but decided she was right. She truly didn't mean any harm.

"Okay, we'll let you enter, but you will have to wait until the guard change, We will escort you in when we get off duty, and take you to the council. They will be the one to tell these news to. What happens after will be up to them." He said and looked over to Kurou.

"She's your responsibility, boy. Keep her in sight at all times. I'll stay with you just in case."

Naruto rolled her eyes but followed them to the water edge. Looking out over the water she spotted the island far out at sea.

"Do you run there?" She asked Kurou.

"Normally yes, you can water walk right? Or do we have to get the boat?" She looked insulted back at him.

"Off course ginger! I'm a ninja, I could water walk when I was eight, dattebyo." She answered with her nose in the air. It was true, by the time her body had turned eight for the second time she had managed to water walk again.

The teenager droned on about all the rules she had to consider by gaining entrance. Naruto listened for a while, but soon her mind wandered back to three boys she hadn't seen in many years, while she had searched for black Zetsu. Wondering how they where doing.

* * *

"Those has to hurt..." Muttered Tobirama looking at his younger brother who was sitting half dazed on a rock.

"No, no, no! It's going to make me stronger you know. Just like older brother." Insisted Itama but winced as another shiver of pain shot up his spine. "I'm certain you're not supposed to use them like that. What the hell are you trying to do?"

Itama grinned through his sweaty two coloured bangs and winked, which annoyed Tobirama to no end.

"Stop the idiocy this instance, Itama!" Exclaimed Tobirama and tried to snap the fire wire away from his little brother.

"You will put yourself aflame, you moron! These are used for battling! Not training!" He growled looking over his brothers scorched skin. "What the hell do you think you would gain from this? A tan?"

"But brother can heal without doing hand signs! He just heals! I wanted to gain the same ability as him, Tobirama." Itama whined, but grimaced when he tried to move.

"You either have it or you don't! You would have discovered a long time ago if you did, with all this idiocy of yours!"

Helping his brother to his feet, all the while checking him for undiscovered burn marks, he continued giving him a mouth full of opinions.

As they walked back to the house so Tobirama could bandage Itama up, they ran into Hashirama. After getting an ear full from both his elder brothers, Itama realised it might have been a tad bit desperate of him to wrap fire wire around himself as means of gaining a none existent healing ability.

"I just… want to get stronger… You two are so far ahead of me..." He muttered dejectedly as they sat around the dining table, Tobirama handing out tea for them all.

"This is not the way to go about it. Now you're injured, and you wont be able to train at all!" Snapped Tobirama, lifting his teacup to his mouth and taking a mouthful.

"I understand you're frustrated Itama. We all are at times, but come to me or Tobirama before you start doing experimental training, okay? We don't want you to get seriously hurt." Said Hashirama calmly.

"Okay, I will." The youngest Senju brother whispered shamefully.

"I guess that means I have to take you off guard duty for Thursday now..." Muttered Hashirama looking thoughtful. "I'll take it, he can do my shift on Saturday, he should be all right in four days." Said Tobirama looking at his brother's bandages.

"I can do my duties! I promise!" Exclaimed Itama leaning forwards.

"No, Tobirama will swap shifts with you. I don't want you hesitant to cast ninjutsu because your hands resemble raw meat." Muttered Hashirama and moved his head from side to side.

"So all off you will be out then? Father has the Thursday shift too!" Moaned Itama and leaned backwards again. "What am I supposed to do? It's so boring here all by myself."

"Stop complaining Itama, do some chakra exercises, or visit some friends." Answered Tobirama with annoyance written all over his face. It was hard to decide which brother drove Tobirama the furthest up the wall. Hashirama and his over enthusiasm or Itama's with his insane ideas.

"Most of them are already dead." Muttered Itama, planting his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands while he looked annoyed to the side. Not wanting to meet their eyes as he said it.

The older brothers looked at each other but didn't comment on it. It was true after all. Three month's ago they had buried one of Itama's closest friends, who had died a slow death from his injuries. He had also happened to live next door. That had led to them hearing a lot off his suffering at night, which was the time he usually couldn't hold in his pain anymore.

It had been a cruel way to go.

"Well, then you just have to consider it punishment for being a moron." Said Tobirama and took another sip.

* * *

Naruto stood with Kurou and Naoki for several hours, bickering with the youngest who she found out was fourteen years old and was indeed a bookworm and a strict believer in following rules.

Naoki was stern and kept an eye on her without a single break. Sometime huffing when she did something not polite or a little too forwards.

In all it was a very boring afternoon and evening for the time traveller while she tried to make the hours pass. Close to ten they finally saw ten shinobi running from the island.

After a few words was exchanged, Naoki and Kurou was joined by five others, two of which was the kunoichi and shinobi from earlier in the day. They took formation around her and together they ran across the ocean surface at full speed.

She realised that Uzushigakure was protected by more then ten guards and the ocean when they came to a stop halfway to the island.

Naoki and two others started going through hand signs, she picked up boar, snake, bird, snake, before they started going so fast she couldn't keep up any more.

When the last sign, the hawk, was done a patch in mid air started glowing. A square, high and wide enough for a person to fit in, lit up in front of them.

"This is the entrance for people who hasn't been approved. You will have to go through this if you want to enter." Challenged Kurou with his hands crossed and leaning on his right leg.

Ignoring him like a pro, she walked with sure steps through the shiny square. Kurou looked disappointed while one of the girls chuckled at their antics. "Come on Naruto, follow me, I'll show you to the town hall." She said and took lead as the group split up.

Kurou and Naoki followed Naruto and the new young woman who'd spoken up. She was also a red haired and looked a lot like Kurou. Maybe they where related?

Jumping up on a wide beautiful dock, lit up with lanterns Naruto took in the sight of Uzu for the first time in her life.

It was dark now, but she could still see lights flowing through windows from the houses a little higher up on the island. She became fascinated by the powerful ocean smashing against the rocks, the sound of seagulls and the smell of salt and seaweed that lingered in the air.

The houses was mostly wooden, but a few in bricks was centred closer to the core of the village. The roofs was mokoshi shaped and the houses coloured in bold colours, especially the ones closer to the ocean. "Why are the houses painted in those colours?" She asked the girl. She seemed a lot more friendly then anyone she'd met in the last year.

"We get bad weather, and often a lot of fog, the colours help our shinobi and civilians who venture out of town to see us when the whenever is really bad." She explained. "Not that civilians ever dare be out in bad weather though..."

"Oh.. That makes sense. But doesn't that make you stand out a bit too? I mean you're out on an island, I thought that was mostly so you wouldn't be seen." She pondered as they walked through a broad street with many closed shops on either side.

"Most would think that I guess. But really it's more so we see who's coming. There's few places you're more visible then on the water. If you try to go under you'll be smashed by the maelstroms. When civilians want to cross, shinobi has to drag the boat over so it doesn't whirl away you know. It's very hard to sneak up on us." She told Naruto who listened interested. Soon she also continued telling a little about their history and culture.

The Uzu was famed for their funijutsu, and the town was littered with it, mostly for protection, but also to make life easier. Like the communication stands.

People could communicate with each other through instant writing. If you wrote on the scroll by the docs, then a person standing on the other side of the island by one of the guard station could see the same text.

They called it texting.

Civilians used it to send messengers through the public textings, while the shinobi used it when messages needed to be sent immediately.

Naruto wondered why on earth they still used birds back in her own time, when the Uzumaki clearly had come up with a much more efficient way a hundred years earlier.

She guessed when the village fell the knowledge went with it.

They came to one of the largest brick buildings, and the girl stopped in front of the entrance stairs with large round columns. "This is the Uzu hall, the village's town hall, the council are expecting you since we texted them earlier. You will have to leave your weapons in the reception though. We do not allow anyone to carry weapons in here. Not even paper." She said and grinned at her little joke.

Nodding she followed inside, Naoki trailing after her while Kurou was on her left. Stopping in the first room, which Naruto gathered was the reception, she started taking out her weapons and handed them to the man waiting with a large basket for her to put them in.

After handing over her chokutō, ten kunais, five knifes, twenty three shuriken, three odd looking forks and an uncountable numbers of senbons from the most unlikeliest of places, it was a slightly weary group that headed for the meeting room.

"Seriously, how do you hide so many shuriken in your hair? Don't you get cut or something?" Asked the girl who hadn't spotted any metal at all earlier, but looked on wide eyed as Naruto started plucking out one deadly weapon after the other from her ponytail.

"It's all about storage, dattebayo. I have them tied to a long thread inside my hair which is tied to my ponytail, that way if I'm really in a hurry I can just tug them out. The knots holding each shuriken can be removed easily if you just pull the release thread, that way the rest stay inside the hair. Dead useful if your being searched though, people seemed to assume you don't hide things in your hair for some reason. My hair is so thick and spiky someone has still to notice them yah' know." She replied happily since someone finally showed interest in her brilliant hiding place which she'd come up with all by herself.

"Really… Maybe I should grow my hair out." She replied running her hand over her red, tied hair. It was impossible to know the length in the first place, since she had it tied tightly into a ball at the back of her head.

Opening the door with the number 3 on, she walked in followed by the rest. The inside was lit with candles all along the walls, it had large windows from floor to ceiling with a view over the dark swirling ocean basked in moonlight. It was a powerful scenery.

* * *

_'Just.. a little… faster'_ He mentally shouted to himself as his breath grew ragged. Almost at the stage where he was panting like a dog. Madara saw the tree which indicating his next to last pace change.

Flying past it, he slowed down until he had reached the tempo of a jog instead of full out sprint, and kept the pace for the next five hundred metres.

When he reached the final round of his stamina workout he was sweating like a waterfall, and he had to look absolutely hideous as he pressed himself faster.

One last effort for this session. Crossing the final goal line with a loud gasp he collapsed to the ground, the world spinning around him as he tried to calm down his racing hart.

"I'm proud of you son." Said a deep voice from the edge of the training ground Madara had taken claim over for the last six hours. Six hours of non stop training.

"You're taking your studies and training seriously. You're already as strong as I am, Madara. Something few of us can actually understand. You're making me believe we will win this war. And when the time comes, you will take over the leadership of the Uchiha clan." Said Tajima with his hands crossed in front of him, a fierce pride shining in his spinning red eyes.

Madara had finally caught up in hight with his father. Tajima was still broader built, more muscles worked up tirelessly through his thirty eight year long life. He had dark spiky hair cut short and standing up at the back of his head. Uchiha Tajima was the leader of the Uchiha, and expected his sons to be the best of his age group. Not that Madara had anyone his own age in this village anymore, but he still expected him to be the strongest. Since his two older brother's had died already, it was Madara who was the heir.

Still panting as if he was dying, Madara choose to let the silence speak for him.

"You're so awesome, Madara-kun!" Exclaimed Naomi, but the exhausted Uchiha didn't show any reaction to her words as he stayed flat on his back, arms spread out on each side and his hair so wild it resembled a haystack.

Madara doubted he looked anything close to cool where he lay watching the clear sky above him. It was ironic to Madara that Naomi had started showing such interest in him. A few years ago he'd been crushing bad on the girl, these days she was so fucking annoying he wanted nothing but strangle her every time she started squealing. Which was any time she saw him.

He respected that the girl was attracted to strength. He was too. It was why he had gotten along so well with Hashirama and Naruto, but Naomi was weak in comparison. Once upon a time Madara had found her shiny, black hair and big brown eyes beautiful. She was from a respectable part of the clan, and was very talented. Today he had to laugh at his own stupidity as he recalled thinking Naomi was the perfect girl.

"You're so strong Madara-kun. Do you want to train together?" Asked Naomi and then giggled when Madara nodded in agreement while getting back to his feet. "Be careful with me though. I can't keep up with yo-" But getting frustrated Madara interrupted her.

"Then what is the point of me sparring with you?" He challenged while one hand rested on his hip.

Naomi looked confused and hurt at his jab. "What do you mean? I just thought we could-" But again she was halted in the middle of her sentence by the other teenager.

"Kami, you don't even understand? I'm trying to get stronger. I won't limit myself and waste time on some make belief workout. If you actually want to challenge me, then you better be prepared for the consequences, Naomi. So what will it be?" He asked, dusting of his pants with a frown.

"Now, Madara. Remember your manners. Naomi only wants a friendly spar. It is always useful to know your allies abilities and limitations. It makes us work better as a clan, better as a united force. Learning can come from many sources. We have always prided ourself on our fellowship within the Uchiha clan." Explained Tajima while looking pointedly at his son.

He was worried about how closed off Madara had become after the incident with the Senju boy.

The leader of the Uchiha was happy about Madara's renewed and improved dedication to the clan. No one came close to him in terms of sheer hard work. No one but maybe Izuna, who was panicking about his older brothers rapidly growing strength. The younger Uchiha brother was the only one Madara seemed to still like.

Even Tajima was unsure where he stood with Madara sometimes. He was sure Madara would die for his father, but sometimes Tajima had the impression that his oldest son didn't like him as much as he loved him.

"We'll be attacking the Senju guards in two days, I need to grow stronger by then." Madara replied monotonously. "I'm merely making sure I can protect the clan the best I'm able to, by the time we set out, father. Naomi isn't close to my level, so it will be a waste of time." He replied and sat down to start his daily chakra exercises.

The one he was doing right now had been taught to him by Naruto years ago. It was still his favourite and the most effective. Attaching a leaf to your forehead with chakra, and with the same means move it according to your mediums will.

He heard his two spectators leave him be. Knowing he was too stubborn to argue with right now. Madara was glad they did, he liked silence, liked solitude. It made it so much easier to think, to remember and proses his own mind. Madara tried to empty his head and only feel, but he was still annoyed at Naomi.

He wondered when their roles had changed. When they were younger it had been _Madara_ who'd tried to get her attention. Wanted her to play with him, or later go out with him.

Naomi had been indifferent, she had never disliked Madara, but had never been interested in him romantically. Instead she'd been crushing on pretty, older boys such as Katsu and his cousin Yamato.

There were many good looking faces within the Uchiha clan. Even though Madara wasn't bad looking, he didn't posses the handsome features as many of his cousins and even his younger brother did. They had been cute as a doll when they where kids, and was growing into heart breakers as they became older.

Madara was normal.. At least that's what he considered himself to be.

He had always tried to be honest with himself. Not wanting to hide behind excuses, and take care of problems as soon as they arrived. Breaking his friendship with Hashirama had been one of the hardest problems he'd dealt with so far.

Abandoning their dream and fight him again and again was a choice he had struggled with at first. But choosing his family over a stupid imagined village had been the obvious answer from the start.

Since that last day by the creek he'd trained relentlessly.

Knowing that Hashirama and especially Naruto was stronger had made him desperate to improve. Learning every ninjutsu in the clan and inventing his own. Getting up at dawn and working into the night whenever he had the possibility. It seemed this had gotten him quite a bit of attention. Even from Naomi, his 'dream' girl. But just like Konoha, Naomi had just been a childish fantasy.

They had nothing in common, and the only reason Madara could think Naomi suddenly wanted his attention was because so many others did.

At first she'd been confident in her advantages, knowing Madara had a crush on her. It had been a surprise for both of them when the young Uchiha soldier got so fed up with her during their conversation he'd left.

Then there was Hana, Hina and Izumi, all of them finding his silence mysterious, his dedication to getting stronger admirable, but most of all it was his complete lack of interest in them that seemed to trig the competition gene.

They lived in a harsh time, where lies, death and betrayal was part of the unwritten ninja code.

Madara had early decided that while he was a ninja, where he was forced to trick and fool others, he would never lie to himself. That's why Madara realised quickly the reason for his sudden lack of interest in his admirers. It was simply because he was already crushing on someone else. A girl who probably hated him, and who he'd most likely never see again.

This train of thoughts only made him more annoyed, and shaking his head back and forth inn hope of pushing out the pictures of blonds, brown haired and black haired girls all together, he concentrate on gathering chakra to a specific point instead.

Attaching the small leaf to the same area it stuck for a few seconds before Madara tried to move it gently to the side of his head. It was a careful exercise. One where you had to take your time and never falter.

"Madara, come here. I want a word with you." Ordered his father after a few hours of blissful peace.

Peeking one eye open he saw his father standing right in front of him with a no nonsense kind of expression. The leaf which had been attached to his ear lost it's grip and fell lazily past his shoulders. Sighting he joined his elder as he started walking down the path back to the village.

"You already know that I'm proud of you, Madara. But the world we live in is a dark one right now. I do not want you to treat your clansmen the way you've been doing lately. You're becoming arrogant. To be proud of your own power is one thing, thinking that power gives you privilege is another. For that you will actually have to achieve something with your abilities first." His father told him as they started walking towards the outskirts of the Uchiha village.

"Yes, father."

"I know you will succeed me one day, probably sooner than later, and nothing will make me prouder than seeing you become the leader I've always seen within you. Together we're moving the clan into better times. We just have to throw down the Senju and all the lands between wave and Kuohara will mostly be controlled by the Uchiha, we will be allowed to go back to how it used to be. When children didn't have to be sent to the front lines to fight. I know you want this as well. Your mother always said you where an intuitive and sensitive child. Someone who both understood and pitied, even before you should have been able to." He paused and put his hand on Madara's shoulder.

"You are distancing yourself from the clan, Madara. I understand your wish to grow stronger as fast as possible. We all wished we could, and your dedication inspire  us all. But remember, Madara, and never forget, that the clan comes first. Before yourself, before me or your brother or any singular person. I know you've had problems trusting since the incident with the Senju boy. However your treatment is being commented on amongst the clan. You have all the abilities to lead our people, but you need to show the others that. That privilege should be given to everyone within the village, not just me and your brother."

"You make it sound like I went about spilling our secrets to the Senju, father."

"I know you never did such a thing. You've always been careful, what I'm saying is that you're starting to rely on no one but yourself. It's not healthy, Madara. And when you take over after me, you will want the clan behind you. Cheering and relying on you the same way you do them. Tell me, how much do you believe the others would trust in you if I died in this instance, and you had to take over? As much as I hate to admit it, that Hashirama is both strong, and has many allies within the Senju. He will take over when we kill his uncle, as long as he survives himself to see the day.

The last year has shown a real change in them. They act more together. They rely on each other the same way we Uchiha always has. It's making it more difficult for us to take them down after Senju Hashirama started uniting his clan better. Even though he is yet to be leader, it's clear he's very valuable. I know I hardly need to remind you that it is your responsibility to kill him." Tajima said and glanced down at his son's expressionless face.

"But from now on he is free game for all of us. You said you wanted to prove your loyalty by killing him yourself, but he is becoming a danger, Madara, a real beast just like you. I guess that's why you became friends in the first place. You noticed each others talent. He needs to be removed before he grows much stronger, son. During the attack we all will try and separate Senju Hashirama from the rest and kill him."

"Good." Replied Madara without moving his eyes away from the road in front of him. He'd known Hashirama would become a threat from the beginning. It was good to hear everyone else finally catching up.

"That's a big part of why I've been training so hard. I know I was being unjust to Naomi earlier, but frankly her approaches are pathetic, and I want her to take the hint sooner rather then later. It's a kindness." Said Madara, crossing his hands in front of him and sighing. Tajima laughed and patted his son's shoulder, finding it strange that they were the same hight already.

"Ah, Madara. You will one day wake up and realise that women has good instincts when it comes to the matters of the heart. I myself was blind to it for a very long while. Your mother was right there my whole life without me realising. Isn't it strange how our clear sighted bloodline can make us so blind sometimes?" Said Tajima and looked with mirth at Madara's scandalized expression.

"Yes, I sometimes think we become so confident in our eyesight we stop seeing the obvious right there in front of us. It took a near death experience and a loooong hospital stay for me to get some sense knocked into me. I proposed as soon as I could get out of the bed. Before we'd been on as much as a date." Tajima laughed and nudged his son's head, getting his hand tangled in Madara's wild long hair.

The son smiled and chuckled, he sort of understood what his father meant, it had been months after their last meeting that Madara had realised he was besotted himself.

"I doubt I'll ever propose to Uchiha Naomi. Nothing irks me more these days then her approaches. I can respect she wants a strong husband, but..." He trailed off, pictures of a young golden haired girl so full of life swiftly crossed through his head.

"Naomi is a good choice, though. It's not so long now until your ready to marry, but you'll have to find someone you can stand of course." He chuckled here and shook his head at Madara's grimace.

"But you need to find someone suitable. Someone who can carry our bloodline into the next generation. Naomi activated her Sharingan at the same age as you did. She's being acknowledged for her genjutsu skills and use of ninja wire. She's also very clever, even though you might not have seen too much of that lately." Tajima said while Madara rolled his eyes. "One day, if it's with you or someone else, she'll make an excellent partner, a good wife and devoted mother."

"Why do you keep pushing her on me, father? I'm not interested."

Tajima frowned at his eldest son with a swift change coming over him. It reminded Madara of how he became whenever they started a battle against the Senju.

"Forget about the Namikaze girl. She's probably dead by now. No one has seen her in years, living like homeless beggar in these times was suicidal from the beginning. By now she'll either have been caught, or killed, or both. Naruto isn't coming back, move on. That's an order."

The two stopped in their tracks as Madara wrestled with his emotions. Of course she wouldn't come back, and most likely his father was right. It still pissed him off to hear him talk like that though.

"Yes, father." He replied curtly, bowed his head and left his father to continue his training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For once this chapter wrote itself.
> 
> A long time skip has occurred, and I'm really excited about Naruto going to Uzushigakure after tirelessly combing the five nations for black Zetsu. I know Uzushigakure is not canon, since I believe in the manga Uzu became a hidden village after Konoha. But for the sake of this story I made it exist ahead of time.
> 
> Please forgive any grammar mistakes!


	7. Kalla Kadal

**Chapter six - Kalla kadal**

_Kalla kadalis a Malayalam word having literal meaning of 'sea thief'. The word kalla kadal, was used by local fishermen. Geographically, it refers to phenomenon when the sea water creeps in during good weather like a thief arriving unannounced._

* * *

"Namikaze Naruto, has willingly submitted to and passed the traitor test. She has asked to meet with the council with urgent news of potentially vital information." Said the ever stoic Naoki and bowed to the five people behind the table placed in the middle of the room.

All of the Uzu guards sat down on their knees, and understanding she should follow their example, Naruto hurriedly mimicked their action.

"Welcome Namikaze Naruto. I am Uzumaki Ashina, the leader of Uzushigakure. We allowed you to enter our village since you passed the traitor test, if your information is proven correct and useful, we might consider letting you stay for a certain amount of time. It depends on what you have to tell us. If you are a danger to Uzu you will be banned from the village immediately, friend or no." Said the man in the middle of the row. He was in his sixties, with long white hair and beard. He had small wrinkles around his mouth and eyes, which were dark brown.

Naruto only nodded in reply. What on earth was she supposed to say to such a statement anyway?

"You will have to use the traitor test while we talk Namikaze-san. Naoki." He said and addressed the guard sitting to her right. He got out the scroll again, and activated it in front of Naruto. She didn't have to get up since the seal was wide enough for her to fit inside its boarder. So she just remained kneeling where she already was.

"Tell us why you have come." Ashina said when the seal glowed white. Naruto got the impression Ashina usually got whatever he wanted, he had that self assured awareness, that only confidence and assurance could give to your tone of voice.

"Thank you for accepting my entrance, and that you took the time to see me on such a short notice. I am a wanderer. I'm also a ninja, and I've spent most of my life in solitude even if that was never by choice. I have entered most of the larger villages, except the Uchiha and Senju village in the fire country since I didn't want to get involved in their war." She explained, telling them what she had practised in the last months for whenever this conversation would take place.

A few of the council members moved forwards in their chairs and looked at her with interest. "I see. We've then established where you came from, but you have some information for us as well. Do tell." Ashina said leaning back in his chair again.

"Yes… There's a few different reasons I'm here. The first is to tell you of a… well, a spy you could say. I know him as black Zetsu. He's not human, he's a creature who has lived for a very long time, dattebayo. He can take a.. em... a black humanoid like shape with two yellow glowing eyes, he can travel through grounds and walls since he can reshape himself, become a fluid substance that can move through cracks and openings. The creature is extremely hard to kill, I'm not sure he can be killed to be honest, since he can latch himself onto other living things, dattebayo! A hurt or weak human for example.

The only sure way to get rid of him is though sealing. I've been hunting him for a very long time. Years in fact, and the last time I sensed him was not very far from here, a few miles west towards the land of water. That was three months ago, and since I haven't found him." She said and tried to judge their expressions. Trying to figure out if what she was telling them made any sort of impression. They looked mutely back.

"Black Zetsu has a goal, and part of that is to make as much difficulty between certain clans as possible, especially the Uchiha. He is extremely good at manipulating, even the strongest minds can be fooled by him, I've seen it myself." Naruto explained and scratched the back of her head in discomfort, they were staring very intently at her while she talked with the traitor seal glowing underneath her, and it made her uneasy.

"So now that I've explained that black Zetsu is good at creating chaos, and while I can't be a hundred present certain, I think he's plotting against you through the means of the Yuki clan in the land of water. Which is not very far from here, only the ocean that parts you to the west.

The Yuki clan, as I think you might know, has a gekai kenkai witch makes them able to use ice release, and have a very feared reputation. The unfriendliness between you have been going on for a while as I understand, but it has grown worse after the biju crossed your path three months ago.

When you chased the sanbi away from your village it went straight across the ocean for them. Their village was completely ruined, and not only theirs, but also the Terumī and Hōzuki clan suffered severe losses. They have grown very angry as of late, especially the Yuki clan.

What I'm saying is that they are gathering forces, they tried to seal the sanbi but was unsuccessful, and all their seal experts was killed in one go. You are known for your fuinjutsu skills and they think you sent the biju to them as an attack on them, dattebayo." She paused and took a deep breath, every eye in the room was so concentrated on her, that she felt sooo awkward.

"This sudden grow of hatred for Uzu, and the fact that the sanbi four months ago was high up in stone country with no intention of leaving his water to wander all the way to Uzushiogakure, makes me almost certain that black Zetsu chased him here, or lured him. I sensed him up there a few days before the sanbi suddenly started moving south. I might not know _how_ he did it, but if it's one thing he can, then it's making trouble for others." She said while looking straight into Ashina's eyes as she spoke. Everything she was telling was perfectly true.

In the last year she'd come across black Zetsu's tail four whole times, the second to last time far up in stone country where she soon had seen the sanbi hurry southwards without any explainable reason. She had been unable to catch up to him, since he neither needed sleep nor rest as he headed further south. It was amazing how quickly that torturous could move. He'd rolled himself into his shell and wheeled across the terrain at top speed.

She'd arrived back in Uzushiogakure only to see the Uzu chase him away.

Naruto couldn't be sure if this had happened in the original time line, what she had found out from Kurama was that it wasn't before the second shinobi war that Uzushiogakure had fallen. However, she was someone who couldn't stand standing on the sidelines while people was being attacked and killed left, right and centre. This was also a situation she could prevent from getting too much worse, and could maybe be resolved peacefully if she played her cards right.

"I see…" He said without making any indication if she was telling them something they already knew or not. A few of the people behind the desk shifted in their chair, but all seemed to have mastered the skill of hiding their reactions. Kurou hadn't though. From the corner of her eye she saw his worried face look up at the village leader.

"Anything else we should know about the circumstances?" Ashina enquired her further.

The blonde racked her brain for what she'd seen and heard while passing through lightning country. Kurou next to her was shifting in his position, almost fidgeting. "Eh'…" She started up nervously.

"The sanbi is far out at sea now, I talked to him when I finally managed to catch up, that's why he stopped attacking even more of the villages. You could say I have some abilities that makes them actually listen."

Ashina nodded while continuing gazing hard into her blue eyes. She concentrated on appearing as sincere as possible, it was all true, but they only had her word and this traitor test to prove it. For a moment Naruto was sure he had come to a conclusion as he blinked slowly once. The old man leaned over his desk and collected chakra to the tip of his fingers, before he activated something on his desk that Naruto couldn't see from her low position on the floor.

A rushing sound went through the room and a spike of chakra, and whatever noise from behind the desk disappeared.

A privacy seal.

They discussed for over fifteen minutes while the other four in the room sat silently next to each other. Naruto noticed that Naoki had started getting nervous as well. Maybe they hadn't known after all. Finally they deactivated the privacy seal and came with their conclusion.

"We will have to confirm this information Namikaze-san. It can take some time though, meanwhile we are considering letting you stay within Uzu. We do have some more questions for you before we can agree to this though. Mito." He said and addressed the young woman Naruto had been talking to earlier.

Startled at the name, Naruto looked at the kind young woman who'd been given her a small tour just half an hour earlier. She seemed just as good at hiding her emotions as the council.

"Gather your squad, you are going to head for the country of water and find out if Namikaze-san's claim is accurate, or if she's been fooled." He told her. "I know you just got off a shift but this is urgent if proven correct. Do you accept the mission?" He said not consulting with anyone else in the room.

"Yes grandfather." She answered, got up and left the room at once.

Looking at her retreating back Naruto wondered if she was the girl Hashirama had wed.

Probably… She was the village leaders granddaughter it seemed, had red hair and was named Mito.

Probably Uzumaki Mito.

* * *

Madara was sharpening his shurikens with utmost care. It was never good to let any of his tools be left untended or forgotten, but today it was absolutely no excuse not to have them in tip top shape.

As he worked, using the sharpening stone against the cutting end of his weapon, he was reminded of the small inn named the 'blunt kunai' from when he was very young. It had been located in Itanika before it's fall, and had been known far beyond the lands for it's sake selection. It also happened to be where his parents had held the reception of their wedding. Which had been a shot-gun wedding, with only their closest friends and relatives present. Eight in total.

His father had kept denying it was because he'd knocked his mother up, but Madara was pretty sure he was lying through his teeth. His oldest brother had after all been born a little over five months later.

The blunt kunai had been the only place they had ran into Senjus back then. It was an unspoken rule that the inn was a place of peace, and maybe that's why they had decided to celebrate their wedding there. Uninvited guests had a habit of putting their noses into larger events, even back then.

He sighed as his minds drifted to their current situation. Everyone was buzzing around, all thirty of them. It would be a very long and hard day.

* * *

"So then we have to find out where you go next Namikaze-san. We wonder why you have come to us. You clearly stated earlier you had no interest in getting involved with the Senju - Uchiha war, and being alone for so long we have to assume you have avoided every other clan in the five nations to stay out of battle." Ashina continued while searching her expressions.

"Why would you side with us. I have never heard of any Namikaze. I have never heard the name Naruto before, and the council find it odd that you would come to our aid."

Naruto swallowed as he asked her that question. She was prepared for this, but still felt nervous about what their reaction would be. "I… There's many reasons I've come here, Ashina-dono. I am a believer of peace. And my goal in life is to achieve this, not just for myself but for everyone. I have lost everything, and knows the pain of war and hate.

I came here not to rush you into war. But to plead with you to resolve this matter as peacefully as possible, for both sides. I know that sounds naive, and I guess in a way I _am_ naive. I came here to aid you with my power… I… I can scare them away… But only if everything else fails. I won't kill anyone, I refuse unless I'm forced and no other options is left to me. I do not want to force anyone to submit. Only through alliances and friendship will any lasting peace be achieved, dattebayo!" She said, her voice growing more secure as she spoke.

"You could scare them? What is this ability? And why haven't you already done so, I understand your belief, it is certainly naive, but still admirable. What could you do that would make our attackers scared enough to run away?" He said looking ten years older.

"Can I stand?" She asked in reply. The village leader looked confused but nodded. Getting to her feet she spiked her chakra and raised the hem of her top so everyone saw the seal on her stomach.

You could have heard a pin drop in the room as every eye was turned to the black patterns burned into her skin.

"This seal was used to seal a biju inside me on the day of my birth. I am what is called a jinchuriki, a human sacrifice. However this seal is useless now. I opened it years ago since I and the kyubi have become friends through our struggles.

He stays inside me of his own free will, and is today my partner you could say, my comrade, and has chosen to aid me. Together we want to try and make a better future for both human and the biju, dattebayo. They're hunted and treated as mindless tools. Their animosity is a result of their sensor abilities. They can feel everything a human or animal feels. Absorbs it and becomes affected by the constant attack on them.

Wouldn't you yourself become resentful if you continuously was attacked and attempted to be imprisoned time and time again? If you felt the despair of every human battling and dealing with war all at once, day after day? We live in a brutal time Ashina-dono. The nine biju can feel all the anger simultaneously. It took me a very long time to understand him, I wasn't even aware of his imprisonment inside me before I was twelve, the seal was so powerful I couldn't sense him at all. Someone had to actually tell me.

We where prisoner and jailer at first, he wanted to break free, while I held him back. After a while I came to understand his pain a little better, I felt pity for his circumstances when I saw the faces of prisoners of war, and he grew to respect my resolve and determination for wanting to end the fighting. If he thinks I'm about to die he will act to save me. And he's still stubborn as hell, but in the end we share the same dream. He wants to see the world his father dreamed off. A world where there was harmony between all humans and demons. The biju's was meant as the force of order and stability, what maintained peace amongst us humans. At first they loved humans, and the humans loved in return. Betrayal broke that bond a very long tome ago, dattebayo."

She paused realising everyone in the room was now leaning towards her spellbound by her words.

"Do you want me to prove it? That we are partners?" She asked standing steadily within the glowing seal.

Ashina didn't answer, only nodded.

With a blaze of light she was surrounded in Kuramas chakra mixed with her own. The whole room which had until now been dimly lit, brighting as if the sun was inside. Everyone inside warmed up. Her chakra was so comfortable and full of life, they felt like their hearts lightened.

There was astounded sounds from all of them when the wooden table suddenly started blooming with flowers and leaves. "Oh! Sorry! I forgot to mention that. The kyubi's chakra is filled with life force… It makes everything.. eh.. Grow..." Naruto explained awkwardly to the dumbfounded spectators.

The light disappeared as she cut her connection to Kurama's chakra and the room turned dark again.

"Eh." Was all Ashina was able to say.

"There is another reason I came her too..." She said once she realised no one was going to continue the conversation for a little while longer.

"My mum… She was an Uzumaki, at least that was the name I was given. I changed it to my dad's family name when I started my journeys, since it was safer when I was six. No one has heard the name Namikaze before, so I've introduced myself as that since." She said to the eerily silent crowd.

"Uzumaki?" Said Ashina looking confused. "You think… You have family here?" He said looking bewildered at the other council members. Kurou shifted next to her, and Naoki mumbled. "Impossible.."

"I believe so, but I can't prove it. It was my mum's name. That's all I've been told. Logically I assumed that meant she was from Uzushigakure." Naruto explained, very aware of the truth seal glowing by her feet.

"What was her name?" Asked one of the other men behind the desk. Shit… She couldn't lie could she now…

"Kushina." The silence that followed was a bewildered one.

"The only Kushina we know of is Kushina Uzuni. She's your age. I doubt she had a child when she was an infant." He continued looking sceptical. He was the oldest person on the council by a bit. With short snow white hair and eyes so sunken she could barely glimpse the black of his eyes. He had a snort written on his wrinkly face as he looked stubbornly back at her.

"We can find out easily enough." Came the voice of Kurou from her left. "We can use a blood seal. If she has half Uzumaki blood as she claims, there should be a reaction."

"If she is a member of the main family she should have red hair. The gene is dominant. It's probably just some civilian who took the name somewhere." Said the only woman on the council. Ashina seemed reluctant but nodded to Kurou.

"It is definitely worth checking. Your seal… It looks like one of our own… Not entirely, it looks altered, but I recognise our own signature amongst the signs." He said searching her face. She didn't look like any of them. Tanned, fair haired, blue eyes. Still… Her face, it had the same shape and smile as his own daughter.

Kurou left the room while the discussion continued.

"But she's a jinchuriki, what if the biju leaves? What if she looses control? The nine tails!" the woman said looking scared over at Naruto. Naoki had silently moved away, and in general everyone seemed to regret having allowed her into the village. Except Ashina.

His deep dark eyes was staring intently into her own. Maybe he was trying to find the truth there. Maybe similarities to himself. Naruto couldn't tell.

Kurou came in again and walked up to Naruto, placing a scroll open on the floor while Naoki deactivated the traitor test and the younger boy started explaining.

"You have to cut some of your blood and let it drip within this circle. When it's been absorbed and disappeared you have to infuse chakra from the middle. Give it a good push, not a long flow of chakra, but one short blast if you understand.

Make it move downwards and then to the sides. Envision you want your chakra to fill an entire circle starting from the middle and pouring out to fill every edge of the circle. If you've done it correctly the seal will change. This scroll has many keys you could say, you have to unlock all of them before you reach the content that we've locked away, but we only want to test if you're an Uzumaki from our clan, so you're only going to try and open the first key which is the blood seal that only Uzumaki blood can open. Do you understand?" He asked patiently.

Naruto nodded, surprised that for once she actually did. She never understood anything of the chakra things Kakashi-sensei had lectured her in without a few repeats.

Kurou moved away while Naruto bent down. Biting the tip of her thumb she let a couple of drops of blood sink into the circle inked into the paper. For a few moments the seal glowed and the blood started seeping into the paper, before it was left as blank as it started. Moving her fingers in the same position as Kurou had instructed she attempted to do give on quick but powerful chakra wave through her fingertips. Envisioning the circled pattern she wanted her chakra to fill.

For a moment the inked seal glowed red, then faded into black before repeating the change. Five times it glowed lazily, each time turning more and more blood red, the abruptly it changed and turned into a different seal.

Naruto looked at Kurou's serious face. He met her eyes and his lip curved slowly upwards.

"It looks like you were right." Said Ashina gravelly from behind the desk. "You must be at least half Uzumaki… It would explain your seal… But I have no idea how this could have happened..." He said looking at the baffled faces of the other council members.

"You've certainly given us a lot to consider Naruto-san… I can't let you stay in the village tonight though. But I will allow you to stay in one of the houses on mainland while we come to a decision. I'll call for someone to show you the way." He said and started to get up. Naruto didn't miss the sudden use of her first name instead of family name.

"Grandfather, I'll show her the way if you please." Kurou suggested.

"Hmm…. As you wish, you know where it is. She can use the Maelstrom house." Ashina answered, and Naruto could have sworn his eye glinted slightly as he walked past them.

* * *

Guarding the Senju village was a dreary but necessary job. The task was rotated between every single shinobi within the clan. In the last year the delegation of tasks had been taken over by Senju Tobirama, he was young but efficient, and had a reputation for always keeping everything under control.

In fact, both of the two oldest Senju brothers had growing respect within the village, especially Hashirama.

Unlike in the Uchiha clan where an heir inherited the leadership role of the clan - the oldest son taking over after his father - amongst the Senju it was earned. It didn't matter if you'd been born as the first son to five generations of Senju leaders. If you weren't the strongest then you would not gain that title. That was why most of the Senju was convinced that it was only a matter of time before Hashirama would take over for his uncle. Especially if he continued growing stronger as he had done in the last four years.

After unlocking his kekkai genkai and refined his control of the wood release, it had made a real change in their chances. As more and more of their older and more skilled shinobi fell in battle, people started relying more on Hashirama than even his uncle and current clan head, Senju Suoma.

It was refreshing with his hopeful conviction and motivating spirit amongst them in dark times like these. Hashirama also proved very skilled in strategies, at least the ones during tight spots, such as when things changed abruptly and the original strategy wouldn't suffice anymore in the middle of a battle.

It was therefore not unexpected that he had been given a lot of responsibilities as of late, was asked to do the most shifts, and most of the time was looked as the leader during an attack.

But this Thursday afternoon it was Tobirama who was in charge. Of the brother's he was by far the best at using his head _ahead_ of time.

"How many shuriken does a ninja have on him?" Asked Hibiki eagerly.

"Ugh… I don't know, it varies with their style." Replied Tobirama exasperatedly.

"None! They're all on you! Get it?" Exclaimed the blond ninja who was ten years older then Tobirama himself.

"Ha. ha." Muttered Tobirama, leaning against a tree while scouting the area.

Hibiki was one of the cheery members of the clan, in a way a lot like his older brother, but in a more childish way. He also had a lot of terrible jokes he loved telling everyone. Unfortunately for Tobirama at the moment, he was the only one close enough for him to pester right now.

"Maybe you should consecrate a little more Hibiki? We haven't been in a single fight with the Uchiha for over three months now. They're bound to have recovered by now." Muttered Tobirama, it was perfectly true, but it was also an excuse to get him to stop his charade of bad puns.

"Of course! You know I have the eyes of a hawk, and ears like a fox, nothing will escape my notice Tobirama."

The middle Senju brother wasn't sure if he wanted him to be wrong or not. While Tobirama dealt with a lot of idiocy at home, this dude just made the cake. It was good he was such a skilled shinobi, he annoyed a _lot_ of people.

It was then they spotted Hashirama coming towards them, he was keeping his eyes searching over the forest while he moved towards them. Coming to a stop in front of the two other guards he sighed in frustration. 

"We'll swap Tobirama, you take my spot, father wants to go over the hour report with you. I don't know… It feels like something isn't right tonight..." Muttered Hashirama and looked over at his brother. "You don't happen to have some water do you? I'm pretty thirsty. I forgot my container at home." He said, a small grin growing on his face.

"Oy, Hashirama! What is a ninja's favourite drink?" Shot Hibiki in. Hashirama looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Not sure, but I myself love apple juice." He said and chuckled lightly.

"Kara-tea! Get it?" Answered the blond eagerly.

When Hashirama bellowed with laugher, Tobirama considered for the trillionth time if his older brother was adopted.

Nodding to Hashirama and leaving as quickly as possible, Tobirama went to his new post. His father was there, keeping close watch without greeting him. Butsuma was like that, when he was at work there was no space for emotions.

Tobirama agreed to this, it made things a lot easier to deal with. In his life as a ninja he had killed children the same age as himself, some had been younger. If you stopped and took that in during a battle, you were as good as dead.

The fact that Hashirama hadn't been killed yet was some form of miracle to Tobirama sometimes. Out of all of them he was the most compassionate, and had a lot of problems distancing himself.

He blamed a lot of this on Uchiha Madara though. Just about every single battle they'd been in since that day four years ago, they had ended up fighting each other during the two clans many clashes.

While Madara seemed to have forgotten everything about Hashirama, the oldest Senju brother hadn't forgotten about him. And had never missed an opportunity to remind him of that fact. Even in the middle of a bomb zone he'd tried to talk sense into Madara once. Tobirama was still annoyed the Uchiha hadn't been killed that day.

It was less frequent these days. Even Hashirama's spirit wasn't unmovable. He too felt the horrors of war and it effected him even if he tried to hide it, convincing himself and anyone who would listen that the result of this war shouldn't be to eliminate every single Uchiha, but to become allies.

This was actually something Tobirama agreed with.

He didn't like the Uchiha, in fact he despised them, but it definitely was a better option then this endless killing. As his older brother said; what would happen after this war was over? When one of the clans emerged victorious, but so harmed and weakened that they would be easy prey for the next opponent?

The other clans would be like vultures, picking up the sick and hurt survivors after the carnivores had already done most of the damage.

Sighting as he scouted on, he heard his father go over the hour report. This was done every hour to make sure everything was in order, it also had a password hidden within it. The password was given before the mission started and changed everyday. The one struggling the most with that was Hibiki, who had an endless memory for bad jokes, but none for anything useful. As a rule Tobirama became more suspicious if he actually got one right.

"Do you feel that?" Asked Butsuma, looking over at Tobirama. Not answering, just listening to the silence of the late evening he concentrated.

"Yes…" He muttered eventually. "Brother said something about feeling something too. What is it?"

"I don't know… " He answered, and in silence they continued their watch.

* * *

Though he wasn't entirely sure how, Hibiki was related to Senju Hashirama's and usually referred to him as a cousin though he wasn't entirely sure which side of the family they shared blood. It was a large family, and even though the relatives that connected them was mostly dead by now, it didn't stop him from being on a friendly term with the young man. As a person who took pride in his kenjutsu skills, not to mention his reputation for being the best within the clan with taijutsu, he felt it was his duty to look after his somewhat far distant relatives. Especially because he agreed wholeheartedly with Hashirama's ideals.

He had once been very taken with an Uchiha girl he'd met at the 'blunt kunai' in Itanika village as a child. It was before the real animosity broke out, and the clan's could still somewhat tolerate each other, not much, but enough to live only a day's distance from one another.

Today he was pretty sure the girl was dead, he hadn't seen her in the last ten years, but hearing Hashirama's story from his youngest brother Itama, had struck a chord with him. Three friends with a naive dream for the future.

It was both tragic and endearing at the same time. Not to mention the fact that Hashirama had yet to give up on the dream of Konoha.

Hibiki had been told the vision many times, and had fallen in love with the idea, even if he was sceptical if it would actually ever happen. He would love for his one year old daughter to not have to grow up the way Hashirama had been forced to. Konoha was exactly the kind of place he would have liked her to grow up in.

Gesturing towards the forest he tried to lift his friend's mood. He liked Hashirama quite a bit, he always kept everyone's spirit up, and for one, Hibiki believed he was a born leader, disguised as a clumsy and slightly eccentric, happy young man. Hashhirama was only sixteen, but had already been forced to bear responsibilities people twice his age never had.

"You know I heard it's haunted the other day?" he said smiling broadly to Hashirama.

"Oh? Anyone we know?" Answered Hashirama and smiled crookedly.

Hibiki rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I wish! But no, I heard it's the spirit of the rabbit goddess. Haunting the earth, and attacking those who posses chakra." He said in his most dramatic voice, attempting to get the worried glint in Hashirama's eyes to lessen some.

The younger man looked curiously at him as Hibiki continued, pleased with his audience. "Because the humans once stole her chakra, and fathers passed it on to the next generation. She is always hungry, furious at humans for stealing her power, and wants it back!"

"I heard a similar story once, but that said she was sealed, and had her servant haunting the earth for the right descendant to free her of her prison." Answered Hashirama with a half hearted smile, combing his hair back as he looked down at the ground.

"Hah, I never heard that one, I think my version is scarier though. But I have no problem imagining this forest being haunted. Isn't it quiet tonight? Like all the animals is asleep at the same time." He said and Hashirama looked back into the trees.

It was silent, eerily so. He had been having breakouts of goosebumps for over half an hour now. It was as if he could feel something looming out there.

Hibiki didn't seem nearly as worried, since not half a minute later he turned to Hashirama and came up with another joke. "Are ninjas scared of ghosts?" He exclaimed, making Hashirama chuckle while his eyes still trailed the branches around them.

"I give, are ninjas afraid of ghosts?" He asked while twisting towards a spot far out.

_Had he seen something move? An animal maybe?_

"No, he _makes_ them! Get i-" But before he could finish, Hashirama was struck with an unexplainable fear and threw himself on the ground. Grabbing at Hibiki's hand to make him follow.

He hadn't seen anything, had no idea why he had the urge to duck so suddenly, but everything in his body screamed for cover. Next to him Hibiki fell dead to the ground while Hashirama still clutched at his hand, two shurikens pierced deep into his throat.

The blood went everywhere.

"ATTACK! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" He screamed, his voice coming from somewhere far away. His eyes unable to move from the smile still plastered on Hibiki's blood covered face.

* * *

"Fuck, you missed!" Hissed Tajima, glancing over at Madara.

"He _ducked_ , the other one went down, didn't he?" Snapped Madara back at his father.

Their cover was blown now, the fight had already started when Hashirama had survived the assassination attempt and bellowed so loudly they probably heard it all the way up to the village.

Next thing they heard was the alarm bell going off a little further away, oh well, they might as well have knocked on the front door now.

His father's plan had been to attack and kill the Senju guards simultaneously, both at each post by striking them down at the same time.

The best shuriken throwers killing them all, hopefully, before they could truly raise the alarm. The rest of the Uchiha soldiers was to remain far behind, so the Senju guards wouldn't pick up on their chakra signatures. The only ones that had come within range of the boarders was the snipers, like Madara who was experts at staying hidden and could hit a nut a hundred metres off in the dark if they had the mind to.

If everyone of their enemies were killed, there would be no one to notify the rest or the people in the village, which was located around ten miles away. They knew there was a guard house somewhere further down in the terrain, where there was backup soldiers. But the idea had been to kill them all before they knew what was happening, and ambush them inside the house.

Looking around to the other posts he noticed a few dead bodies, while others was crawling away, staying low to avoid getting hit by flying shurikens being thrown from every possible direction.

Clearly quite a few had not hit their target. It was probably the signal that had made Hashirama duck so suddenly.

He'd been smiling only moments before as far as Madara could see. Their signal had been a very small burst of chakra, they had hoped their position was too far away for them to notice, and while it hadn't been unexpected that they might take notice, it still annoyed Madara.

"Get ready son, before they have time to send down the rest of them." Muttered Tajima and looked over his shoulder.

Grabbing for his chokutō Madara got to his feet, his fully developed sharingan swirling lazily as he took in their enemies movements.

Hashirama was on his legs again, ducking and jumping around the shuriken being aimed at him. Idiots, _that_ Senju wouldn't get killed by a small piece of flying metal, he'd known it from the start. It was Madara who was going to kill him personally, face to face. He'd promised them all he would do it, and when Madara made up his mind about something, there was just about nothing that could deteriorate it.

His father had always called him too stubborn for his own good.

"GO!" Shouted Tajima, and everyone hiding far behind them roared, Madara included.

It was time for the battle to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> The Uchiha attacks the Senju village. Yelp… I'll warn you now, the next chapter will be violent.
> 
> This whole story actually started running though my head after I watched the 33. anime ending animation, which focuses on Madara's perceptive of humans and the shinobi wars. It's an absurd and strangely catching ending which made me very sad. Personally I think it's the best ending of them all, loads better then most of the actual episodes. It's just ironic with the strong and tragic imagery compared to the high pitch, happy-go voice singing in the background.
> 
> English is not my native language, so please forgive any grammar mistakes.


	8. Lahar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is a lot of violence in this chapter, proceed with caution if this upsets you.

  **Chapter seven - Lahar**

_"Lahar" is a Javanese word that describes volcanic mudflows or debris flows. A lahar of sufficient size and intensity can erase virtually any structure in its path, and is capable of carving its own pathway, making the prediction of its course difficult._

* * *

"Katon: Great fireball technique!" Shouted Madara and Tajima simultaneously.

_'These trees had to fucking_ go!'

The Senju was using their home turf to their advantage, hiding in corners and behind everything that grew as the Uchiha attempted to split them up further. Taking them down five to one.

"Nicely done, son!" Exclaimed Tajima and gave him one quick pat on the shoulder while they moved forwards. A Senju was screaming in agony as they passed by without paying much notice. Madara didn't recognise him, but then again, few were recognisable after getting burned alive.

They had the clear advantage, and the Senju had been completely overwhelmed. From the corner of his eye Madara kept Hashirama within sight.

He was fighting by himself, trying to get to his father who was struggling against five of their men. Butsuma was also the person Tajima and Madara were heading for.

This Senju was a strong opponent equal to Tajima himself. That's why he wanted his son to fight with him. The two of them together would be more than enough to kill the bastard.

As they ran past Hana and Hina fighting a young girl who looked close to bursting into tears, Madara noticed Butsuma was covering someone while he fought. It was a smaller person who seemed to already be injured. Probably hit in their first assault, since he was clearly in pain but still alive for the moment.

Tobirama.

"Go on the right side Madara! I'll go straight in, you take care of Senju Tobirama!" Shouted Tajima as an explosion tag went off behind them. Feeling the heat at the back of his head Madara reluctantly nodded. He'd rather go for Hashirama, but since his father was going for the Senju leader's brother, then killing his son would be a very good strategy.

It looked like it was time to sever whatever bond Hashirama imagined was still between them. There was no way he'd forgive Madara after he killed his brother.

Running sideways away from his father while focusing on the white haired boy who was gritting his teeth in agony, leaning against a tree behind him while his breath was coming in ragged huff's, Madara started going through hand signs.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" He shouted, and four clones popped up on his sides as the Senju took notice of his advantage.

His eyes widened and he stumbled to his feet. The look on his face was determined as they met his eyes. Tobirama's arm was drenched in blood and it hung unusable at his left side. It still didn't stop him from using his right hand to start forming his counter attack.

Damn, one handed signs, that was actually quite impressive.

"Suiton: Water jet stream!" He shouted, and a rush of water took two of Madara's clones out at once.

"Fūton: Great breakthrough!" Exclaimed Madara mid-air as the oldest Senju growled and went through one handed signs while throwing shuriken against Tajima at the same time. Countering both their attacks simultaneously. Madara's two remaining clones swirled to get out of the line of fire, and barely managed to avoid it.

Frowning as Batsuma's earth ninjutsu stopped his own attack in the middle of the distance, he landed crouching low as Tajima and Butsuma clashed. The Senju with a tantō, the Uchiha with his chokutō.

From somewhere to Madara's left he heard a shout of pain and immediately recognised as Senju Suoma came hurtling onto the steadily heating battlefield. He saw Katsu trying to intersect him, but was knocked sideways as he came hurtling straight for his brother who by now was both trying to fight of Tajima and Madara at the same time. The other Uchiha having retreated from this match since they knew it would grow out of scale.

Madara looked at his two clones who was keeping watch of Tobirama. "Take Suoma." He growled, he was slightly frustrated since he wished to kill that bastard with his own two hands.

He focused on Tobirama who was grimacing back at him, his Sharingan focused on every minuscule movement the Senju made. It looked like he'd been hit in his ribs as well as his arm by the shuriken of the Uchiha snipers. His left side looked like it hurt him greatly. Good.

"Suiton: Water dragon bullet technique!" Shouted Tobirama, a raging amount of water building up in front of his hand sign.

Madara would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed by the massive creature that emerged from the young Senju's technique. There was absolutely no water around here, only earth and trees, and still the large reptile formed water beast came at him, ready to bite him in two if he got the opportunity.

Gathering up wind chakra he cried: "Fūton: Beast tearing palm!" and slashed his right arm hard horizontally in front of him.

A blue, sharp, slicing wind of tearing power rushed at the water dragon. As the ninjutsu creature opened his mouth wide, still in it's path to crunch Madara between it's fangs, the wind ninjutsu hit it in the mouth slicing its head in two and making it dissolve violently into puddles of water. The splash made all four of them drenched in water.

It was at this moment Souma caught up with them, having disabled Madara's clones quickly along with Hina who was bleeding on the ground. His eyes fixed on his brother Butsuma, while Madara came pelting at Tobirama at the same moment, taking advantage of the commotion from the water fountain which previously had been the Senju boy's technique.

His kunai ready he saw the young Senju realise what was happening, but this injured he was still unable to move in time. Madara was confident the way was cleared and fury rose up in him at the thought of the leader of the Senju as he stabbed Tobirama.

Or at least he tried.

"Stay the hell away from my brother!" Screamed Hashirama with fury as he caught Madara's arm around his wrist. Madara's kunai had only been an inch away from piercing Tobirama's chest. The Uchiha teen couldn't believe he'd forgotten to keep track of him, and had now only half a moment to realise the predicament he found himself in.

He was in deep shit.

Tobirama growled and kicked him hard in the stomach. They both shouted in pain as Madara flew backwards falling onto his back. Roots shot up to bind his hands and feet at the same moment he landed.

_'_ _F_ _uck!_ _'_

He was caught. Madara couldn't even reach his kunai which had flown out of his hand. Legs being bound to the earth along with his arms and stomach, he for real started panicking.

A cry came from next to them, and Madara watched as Senju Suoma fell bloodied and unconscious to the ground. At some point while he wasn't paying attention in the last half a minute Katsu, Naomi, Izumi and Hana had joined their battle and was targeting Butsuma while Tajima dealt with his brother.

It was with a panic mixed pride he understood that his father had just struck down the leader of the Senju. Hashirama's uncle.

A disgusting gurgling sound came from Sumoa's throat and Butsuma was enraged as he blasted the youngest out of his path on his way to attack Tajima.

But Madara had enough to deal with on his own right now. He struggled fruitlessly against the wood release holding him down, unable to do as much as a kawarimi. His only hope was genjutsu but he needed eye contact for that. Every single Senju knew by now never to look an Uchiha in the eye.

Madara heard someone running up to him. He was going to get executed, it was hopeless.

True enough; Tobirama came fast into view over of him, appearing as if snapping out of thin air with his chokutō slashing down on him.

Madara could do nothing but stare as his death approached. He couldn't close his eyes, he had to watch as the younger boy killed him. Disbelieving as he realised that _this_ would be his end.

Madara was _stronger_ then this fucking _brat_. How could this possibly be his fate?

It was ironic in a humourless way that he'd always been so focused on Hashirama to never notice that his younger brother was growing rapidly in strength. He had royally screwed up. It was strange how fast he could think as the shiny metal came rapidly down on him, his Sharingan making him able to see every dirt patch on the gleaming material.

And then it was gone.

Someone crashed into the Senju with so much force he was knocked sideways while a sound of anger came from Hashirama in the background. Madara was still too much in shock to hear exactly what was being said.

What he could see however, was Naomi.

She'd hurled herself painfully at the Senju boy before the blade could crack Madara's scull in two.

The blade only graced his forehead before it was dragged with it's wielder to the side, Naomi on top of him. The chokutō had only given him a scraped wound, an injury he barely took notice of as he comprehended what the alternative would have been.

Naomi's teeth was gritted in anger, she tore at the Senju with her bare fists while he lay helplessly underneath her. The girl looked beyond reason as she attacked again and again while Tobirama became more unrecognisable from the hits to his face. Tobirama could probably have fought the furious Uchiha teen off if he'd been at full strength, but the wounds was bleeding badly. Taking the opportunity, Katsu came running over to him and broke through Madara's restraints with his tantō.

Naomi had the younger Senju brother by the throat now, squeezing so hard his eyes was popping out of their sockets. Her other hand was raised with a kunai clutched in it. She was about to slit Tobirama's throat when Hashirama screamed; "Mokuton: Wood flow spears!"

Madara hadn't seen this one before.

While Katsu helped him to his feet, cutting at the remaining roots binding him, they watched in horror as pointy spears shot up from the ground.

But not the soft twirling roots. These were hard, deadly spike shaped mass shooting diagonally up from the ground and piercing straight through Naomi's chest before she could strike her captive the final blow.

"Huh..."

The sound was faint from the girl who grew rigid. The wood was sticking out from her chest while she stared confused down on it. Seemingly surprised to see the odd addition to her body. She coughed painfully and blood came splashing out from her mouth, straight into the Senju's face.

Tobirama was staring shocked through swollen eyes up into her face as her gaze grew empty, and slowly her eyes fluttered close. His breath was now coming in gasps from lack of oxygen.

Her head tilted forwards as if she had merely nodded off while Madara still couldn't comprehend she'd been pierced to death as she sat on top of Tobirama. Her blood trailed down her jaw as she died, dripping onto Tobirama's cheek as the girl left the world of the living.

"You bastard!" Screamed Katsu in anger and grief. His face going pale as he swirled back towards Hashirama.

Madara was still shocked as he watched Tobirama trying to get out from underneath Naomi. She was still stuck to the wood spike and he had to struggle to get enough space for him to escape.

Hashirama's eyes had gone cold as he stared back at Katsu, his teeth gritted in fury while his hands was still gripped together as if in prayer after his last wood release technique.

"I will not allow any of you to touch my little brother!" He hissed back while he looked pained. Madara had the impression he didn't want to look at what he'd just done. Couldn't get himself to see Naomi rammed to death by his own ninjutsu.

"I'll kill you!" Katsu exclaimed, his hand shaking as he pointed at Hashirama. The younger brother came halting over to his brother, looking pale and nauseous while Hashirama grabbed him around the waist, supported his side.

"Then come at _me_. I'm your opponent!" He bellowed back, helping Tobirama to sit down and stepping in front of him as a human shield.

Madara stared from Naomi to Hashirama to Katsu. Ignoring Tobirama since he was less of a threat than ever. It looked like Naomi had managed to do some proper damage before she got killed.

He was trying to think of a way to calm Katsu down, he had never seen him loose his head like this. Not even when his five year old sister died three months ago had he reacted like this.

"Calm down Katsu." he ordered, and looked back at Hashirama after studying the spear running through Naomi closely. It was a very dangerous technique. They couldn't be hit by that if they wanted some chance of winning.

Hashirama was panting and looked strained. Meeting Madara's eyes he became determined. Finally ready to battle for real.

* * *

Naruto sat crossed legged on a bench in Uzushiogakure while watching the many civilians walking carefree past her. It was absurd to her to be in such a light environment after so many years in exile. She hadn't experienced an atmosphere like this since before the fourth great shinobi war in her first time line.

A boy was laughing and licking an ice cream while his older sister made sure he didn't wander off. A woman was chatting with someone she'd just run into, a man was walking hand in hand with his wife while they enjoyed the warm weather.

It was as if the wars haunting the rest of the ninja world wasn't affecting them at all. As if it couldn't penetrate the spirit of the people on this island. It was so refreshing, and Naruto found herself feeling somewhat as she'd done back in Konoha. Relaxed.

She'd been waiting for over a month to gain proper access to Uzu. It had been a long process of checking out situations and backup questions. She was sure she'd done the right thing in explaining everything they needed to know about her. She felt it only right to be honest with the village leaders if she wished to stay any place for a longer period of time like she was expecting to be here in Uzu. Naruto hadn't been living in a village for more then two days before, usually camping under the night sky or in a cave in the winters.

Naruto needed their help if she wanted to seal Zetsu, which was something she had no choice in. She was no sealing expert, and here they were a majority of sealer's and fuinjutsu experts waltzing the street as she sat there. For a long time she had thought of coming here, but had been uncertain about how she was going to approach them.

Kurama had advised her to tell as much of the truth as she could, he meant they would accept her easier if she was up front with them from the start. They could detect lies through fuinjutsu like the traitor test and other means. So Kurama didn't see the point of trying to deceive them when she didn't actually have more to hide then being from the future. Which he seriously doubted would ever be a question they'd ask her.

The worst thing that could come of telling the truth was to be turned away for being a jinchuriki, it would have sucked big time, but she would eventually have gotten over it. Now however she was on good terms with Uzumaki Ashina and his grandson Kurou who had kept her company for many boring hours while she waited in the maelstrom house on the mainland for a whole month. Naruto had been climbing up the walls, literary, out of boredom while she waited for them to come to a decision.

They had also approached her earlier about becoming a kunoichi of Uzushiogakure. One of the council members named Uzusni Yasu had made things difficult for her by wanting her to swear loyalty to Uzu. Something Naruto couldn't do.

She already had a village, it might not exist any more but someday it would, Naruto would make sure of it. Her loyalty would always belong with Konoha, and there was simply no way she could stay in Uzu for the rest of her life. The village was beautiful, but her resolution was firm. Konoha was her home.

Naruto had almost not been given permission to enter because of this, it was the major reason for why it had taken so long for her to access. In the end she'd been allowed to stay by promising to do a set of missions for them while being evaluated, to prove she could be trusted.

She wasn't sure what they would entail, but Kurama was guessing they would be related to the situation with the Yuki clan.

Her status as a jinchuriki had also gotten classified as a secret. Which meant that the only ones who had heard her words during the council meeting knew what she was. Mito who had just returned from her mission in the land of water therefore didn't know. She had left before the matter was brought up.

Maybe that's why she had so little problem talking to Naruto, everyone who knew except Ashina, seemed to have problems being around her, afraid of what was inside her. Even Kurou, but at least he tried to hide it and act casual, firmly believing in his grandfather's conviction that Naruto was no threat to Uzu.

Uzumaki Mito was different from what Naruto had expected. While she always was polite and energetic, she was also a lot more serious then she'd first appeared. She had a calmness about her that was both intimidating and relaxing at the same time.

At the moment Mito was in a meeting with the council, probably discussing the situations with the clans in the land of water and how to proceed. The only thing Naruto was wondering was how she would convince them to teach her fuinjutsu. It would take a lot of pestering to convince council member Yasu to let her learn some of their skills...

* * *

Butsuma had a reputation for being a cold hearted man. On the battlefield he never showed any emotions, the only exception to this had been when his son Kawarama had died in his arms. A pointless death, as his oldest had called it during his funeral. The only reason Butsuma had survived that day, was because his brother had protected him when the Uchiha tried to kill him. The _one_ time his heart wavered.

Right now they'd been battling for only fifteen minutes. That was all it had taken to change it all. It would never stop to amaze him how much damage could be done in such a short amount of time. In fact, it only took a moments to turn a situation so bad it could result in your own death.

The fight between his sons against Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Katsu had somehow merged with his own battle with Uchiha Tajima. His brother was dead, killed after getting trapped in a genjutsu from those horrid eyes, and then stabbed through in the head. It had been terrible, and for a moment Butsuma had almost wavered, like the time with his son, but instead anger had come to his defence.

He had never seen eyes like Tajima had on anyone else.

The Mangekyō Sharingan was a terrifying weapon, Tajima's eyes did no longer have the standard three tomoe pattern, it was a like triangle with it's corners smudged sideways. Butsuma knew he'd obtained them after Suoma had killed his second son, and the ecstatic look on his face when he'd killed Suoma only five minutes ago had made him look insane.

The Uchiha curse of hatred was no joke.

He'd mourn his beloved older brother later, if there was a later for him. His focus right now was to kill Tajima and Madara, and make sure his sons made it back to the village alive. Itama needed them, and so did the village. Especially Hashirama.

Butsuma had been very disappointed in his oldest son after the incident with Madara and the Namikaze girl. Had never understood why he sprouted about with his wild ideas of alliances and friendship. The whole thing was both insulting and naive. It had made him furious many times that Hashirama could even imagine not revenging those who had died. If they gave up on this war, then his son's death would truly have been pointless.

However; he was a father. And Hashirama was his first son. He simply and purely loved him. Loved him and his brothers more then his own life and anyone of the other villagers. Unconditionally.

Now that his older brother and the leader of the Senju was dead they'd need a new leader. Even if Hashirama took over from today and led them down the path of reconciliation with the Uchiha, Butsuma realised he'd forgiven him. Forgiven him for his ludicrous conviction.

It was with a smile he realised that no matter what he did, Butsuma would forgive him. And as a father it was his job to believe in his children. While he might not ever have told anyone, it was a fact that Butsuma was proud of his children, all three of them.

As he peeked over his shoulder at the solid wooden prison Hashirama had created to protect Tobirama he finally came to his conclusion. How to save his son from getting killed by the boy he once called his best friend.

Tajima was attacking Hashirama, and Madara pelting after as they tried very hard to kill his eldest son since they believed Butsuma was no longer a real threat. He'd lost his leg by getting it cut off by Madara's wind cutting technique only a minute ago. Pain and drowsiness obscuring his thought and vision as he watched Hashirama countered Tajima, making him fall back while Madara went for it. Not paying him any attention at all.

They were so clueless. Clearly they didn't understand the length a parent could go to protect their child.

With his one remaining leg he staggered and used his last, remaining strength to throw himself forwards, in front of the path of the fire ninjutsu flashing from Madara's mouth while Hashirama forced Tajima backwards with his wood release. Getting hit in the back, right in front of Hashirama's disbelieving eyes.

With a stab of incredible pain he realised what they said about being burned alive was the worst way you could go was true, Butsuma no longer doubted them.

He felt his skin being piled off him as the full inferno devoured him. No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, the scream of agony still burst from his lips.

But seeing his son's tear filled eyes as he shouted for him, begged him to survive this, he couldn't regret it. Tobirama was bellowing in denial from inside his protection chamber, even though Butsuma no longer could understand what was being said, only hear the rushing fire eating at his body.

It was worth it, if it meant his son would get another chance to get out of this alive to fight on. Protect their people and lead them to a better future. Maybe there was some hope in his word after all.

He wasn't scared of dying, he'd see Kawarama and his wife again. Butsuma was only sorry he wouldn't be able to tell the remains of his sons a proper goodbye.

* * *

The silence that followed while Hashirama stared down on the burning remains of his father was filled with trepidation. At least for Madara.

He'd just killed Hashirama's father. His dad.

Or was it _really_ killing when the guy jumped in front of a fire technique on one leg? He had sacrificed himself for the sake of Hashirama who had been so weary of fighting he was stumbling. Attacking and protecting at the same time.

The air was tangible with his pain and anger, and Madara - for the first time - felt something else than fury. For a moment he could feel Hashirama's anguish too.

It was a consuming thing, a silent and roaring scream of disbelief as he stopped paying attention to them. Looking as if he'd completely forgotten that they where in the middle of a battle.

Tajima had already called for their retreat, and most of the Uchiha had pelted into the forest. It was only a matter of minutes before the full forces of the Senju clan was upon them and they had already suffered severe losses, even when outnumbering the Senju they could still resembled cornered wolfs. Attacking and biting to their dying breath. Taking as many of them with them as possible.

Katsu had abandoned their fight since both Madara and Tajima were focusing on Hashirama, knowing how they preferred wide ranging attacks. So he focused instead on their dead clan member. He was releasing Naomi's corpse from the spear and held her close as he mourned the young woman. Madara watched them from the corner of his eye, and recognised the emotions in his friend's pained features. He had loved her.

How ironic.

He felt bad for Katsu, and so incredibly guilty over Naomi's death. Had he not gotten captured she'd most likely still be alive, but now was not the moment for grief. Madara couldn't afford to get distracted right now.

Hashirama looked from the burning corpse of his father up at Madara, or maybe he was looking through him. His eyes seemed dull and was so filled with tears he wouldn't be surprised if Hashirama couldn't see at all.

"Is this what you wanted Madara?" He muttered. "You just killed my father... Does it make you happy to see me suffer? Does it make your life easier when I hurt?" Hashirama asked with such a calm voice it spooked Madara. He didn't respond, just shifted from foot to foot as his father peeked down at him.

To his left he could still see Katsu hugging Naomi and how the ground was littered with the many burned people, Senju and Uchiha alike. He could see Uchiha Hina, unmistakable dead from her injuries higher up in the terrain while her cousin Hana was sealing her up while she cried. Izumi was limping into the cover of the forest together with a few of their clan members.

The landscape was completely altered. Unrecognisable if it hadn't been for the mast with a half torn Senju flag higher up. It was unmoving from the lack of a breezy, falling limply downwards. Everywhere there was a smell of smoke, blood and sweat, as if the wind had decided it wouldn't blow away the reminiscences still lingering around them. Make them take in exactly what had happened here.

_'Is this… what I want?'_

"This fighting… It's so pointless Madara… Things wasn't supposed to be like this… You wanted something better too, once. You wanted Konoha… How can you have forgotten that? Forgotten Naruto and me?" Hashirama's breath shuddered, and he was shaking all over as he spoke. His voice was somehow still steady even through his trembling. Standing there shaking from head to toe, tears streaming down his face while he glared at Madara.

_'What do I want?'_

"That was the Tsuki no Me!" Shouted Madara in fury, firing up so quickly he was surprised at his own reaction. He'd gone very stiff and felt like Hashirama was mocking him, even if he looked genuine it was a glint in his eyes that said that Madara didn't understand, didn't get what was important.

"You just killed plenty of my clan members! They had siblings and family too! Stop talking rubbish and fight Hashirama!" he shouted so loudly his voice cracked.

Hashirama was shaking his head as if there was a fly he was trying to swat away, not even bothering to let Madara finish before he started.

"Naruto told me to knock some sense into you Madara, and then she left to grow stronger… But she's probably dead too… She said she would come back as soon as possible… But she's not back, and I haven't knocked any sense into you." Madara was unsure if he was talking to them or himself. He was looking from Tajima and back to Madara but his eyes was far away.

"And now you killed my father. I'm so… so angry with you Madara." He muttered while his head still moved slowly from side to side.

"I hate you." He whispered, as if hearing the words coming from his mouth was a test to see how they fit. Fitted with his own opinions.

Even though this was what Madara had wanted for so long, wanted Hashirama to give up on him, it still hurt. There was a rush of sadness filling his chest, making him almost not believe Hashirama had said that. That he hated him...

"We need to leave father. They're coming." Muttered Madara as Katsu ran off with the body of Naomi sealed inside a scroll.

At least she'd have a grave now.

_'I hate you...'_

"I'll deal with him first. Don't interfere Madara." His father snapped, surprisingly angry at the Senju's words, and not waiting for an answer he ran at Hashirama.

While Madara's mind was still whirling with Hashirama's words, he did as he was told.

Only watching as his father pelted towards Hashirama while going through hand seals. How Hashirama's hand stayed useless at his sides, not moving or preparing to either attack or defend himself while he stared into the eyes of the shinigami. He looked so utterly lost. Just like Madara felt.

"Forgive me."

Madara barely heard it, and afterwards he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not. The two annoying words Hashirama had always uttered whenever he became depressed and sulked, a joke while he waited for Madara to yell at him to snap out of it. But there was nothing funny about the way he said it now.

Tajima was only a hand sign away from releasing his lightning ninjutsu when the ground around him suddenly erupted. Madara stared at his father as if in a dream, because it had to be, this couldn't be happening.

He could only focus, try to analyse what was happening so he could figure out how his father would survive this. He wondered if it was wood or rock or some mixture of the two that latched around his dad. Twirling and engulfing him in it's shadows in less then a slit second while Hashirama still stood frozen across from him.

_'Forgive me.'_

How was he going to get out of that? How was Madara going to wake up?

_'Is this what I wanted?'_

The scream in his throat, the shout of warning was cut short as he saw his father's body get crushed between the thick roots. Getting killed so quickly he didn't even have time to cry out.

The only remaining part not crushed was his head, bloody and still glaring at Hashirama with his spinning, red Mangekyō Sharingan.

_'No… It wasn't supposed… to be like this.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First: Thank you for reading! And for those commenting, following and pressing fave on this story, I am really glad you take the time. It's so motivating!
> 
> Second: Okay… I hope this didn't get too morbid for you. I was attempting to express some the horrors of war in the life of a child soldier. I can't imagine how terrible it must have been growing up like that, but I'm doing the best I can trying to put it into words what little I can think off.
> 
> Third: I'm also trying to improve on my fighting scenes. Please bear with me here, they are so incredibly hard to write. The flow of it, not repeating things, describing movements and do not get me started on all the jutsu names...
> 
> Next chapter will be lighter, at least no one dies there…


	9. Flow

**Chapter eight - Flow**

_In positive psychology, 'flow', also known as 'the zone', is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does. Achieving flow is often colloquially referred to as 'being in the zone.'_

* * *

Ashina and the council member Yasu was showing Naruto around Uzu after they'd been discussing her arrangements.

Their presence out and about in the village caused quite a bit of attention, people kept bowing and staring at them when they walked by. And Ashina and his companions nodded in return every minute while they tried to tell her about the village's history.

"We're an old clan Naruto. We've lived on this island for a long time, but it's only in my generation it became a village. We have the Uzuni clan living with us, Yasu here is the head of that family." He explained and gestured towards the old man walking on the other side of Naruto. He was constantly wearing a frown and seemed to like the blonde as much as mud on his sandals.

"The Uzuni was a family we made bonds with long before my time. It seemed the best course of action with all the wars on the mainland. This is a fortress in its own way, our home in another. We still have a few friends on the mainland, incidentally the Senju in fact. And there's the Sarutobi and the Hyūga. But in all we prefer to keep to ourself." Ashina said while nodding and greeting six people in a row.

"We have discussed your situation Naruto, we can't allow you to become a public member of the family I'm afraid. We have no idea who your mother was, and we always thought we had tabs on everyone within our clan. It wasn't difficult seeing as we are on an island. But she must have been taught by someone in our clan for you to have that seal on your stomach. Maybe her father or mother... But as I said, the whole thing is a mystery to us. Keeping her existence so hidden… We don't understand why anyone would." He said thoughtfully.

Naruto didn't answer, she couldn't really say her mother hadn't been born yet, and that Ashina was most likely her great, great grandfather or something along that line.

He shook his head a little and smiled broadly as he changed the subject. "You take after your father I guess. We've never seen a Uzumaki child with anything less then bright red hair. In whole you are quite the surprise for us, Naruto-chan. But your chakra has very strong potency and a lot of the Uzumaki qualities. You heal fast, have a lot of chakra and it has the same flow." He explained while the frown on Yasu's face deepened.

"Flow?" Naruto asked aloud. Not sure she'd ever heard anything about this before.

"Yes, we Uzumaki have very quick flowing chakra. It's what makes us good at sealing. It's also what makes a few of us very hyperactive at times. The amount of chakra, and the speed it flows through our system makes us restless if we don't… How do I say this… Lessen the pressure. Give it somewhere to go but rushing around inside." Ashina chuckled while Naruto's eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Mito was especially hyper when she was a child. Always jumping and doing cart wheels. Never walked over a flat surface without doing some sort of acrobatics. We had to start her on chakra control exercises when she was three you know. Usually we can wait until they're five, but with her amount of chakra it just wasn't an option. What about you? Did you also experience these things? You said your parents died before you could remember them, so maybe you didn't know." Ashina said kindly, looking down at the blonde girl.

Naruto was going through all the pranks she'd done in her youth. Her loudness, lack of attention and disobedience. Never standing still and running like a madmen through the streets of Konoha. She couldn't suppress the grimace as the memory floated up to the surface.

Ashina seemed to read her correctly, since he laughed heartedly. He had a deep laugh that was infectious, and Naruto found herself giggling despite herself.

"I was horrible… No one really taught me that… I hated the chakra exercise too. I found them so boring as a kid since I've always lacked patience. I used to prank the villagers too. I guess I was sort of the village piraya, but that was also because I was a jinchūriki. Everyone seemed to know except me, so they avoided me, and I pulled pranks on them to get attention. I never paid attention in class and was always very loud… Not the classic ninja you know..." She said getting embarrassed.

Ashina seemed to find it entertaining while Yasu got even more bad tempered.

Ignoring him, Naruto and Ashina talked animatedly while the latter showed her the ways around Uzushiogakure. Stopping here and there to point out significant areas of value. Like a good restaurant, the guard house or the town house now that she could see it in daylight.

It was the best day she'd had since the days with Hashirama and Madara by the creek.

* * *

Madara watched as Izuna cried while the caskets was being buried. His own eyes was burning him, the fire more intense than ever while he thought of his father.

He was the leader of the Uchiha clan now.

Sixteen years old and already burdened with the responsibility of their whole clan's grief and fury. Katsu had turned bitter, something that didn't suit the young man at all.

He hadn't come for anyone's funeral and was probably hiding in his room, ignoring his mother and getting immersed in his own anger. Madara had seen the same thing happen to many within his clan, the sudden loss was enough to turn them cold hearted and revenge ridden.

It was happening right now, his younger brothers eyes was turning red, and that was not from crying.

Madara clenched his eyes shut and tried to think of something else, but the only thing that appeared was Hashirama's dark eyes staring at him after killing his father. The anger and remorse as they both just stood there unmoving.

Madara hadn't been able to react for a while. He'd never frozen in battle before that day, but he guessed sometime had to be the first.

Hashirama hadn't said another word, he'd just watched as Madara ran up while the wood technique released the destroyed body of his father.

In the Uchiha clan you were preprogrammed to make sure you acted correctly when going into shock. Preprogrammed was the term used since it took place as soon as you no longer could think properly and acted without understanding what you were doing, the action was preprogrammed to make sure you did things right.

Just acted, no thoughts.

You could pre-program instructions you wanted to do, but they had to be easy, very strict and never altering for them to work when they were needed. Like it had been then.

That's why Madara on autopilot sealed the body inside a storage scroll without throwing up at the sight of the remains while Hashirama turned and walked away. It was a strict rule that no Uchiha corpse was ever to be surrendered to anyone else but their clan. If you couldn't get to the corpse, you where to burn it at all cost. No one was to get their hands on the Sharingan, and especially not Uchiha Tajima's Sharingan.

The idea of burning him was something Madara couldn't deal with, even while he was so in shock he'd gone into pre-program mentality he had known that. He had to get his father home.

The burning in his eyes intensified as he fought the tears. It just hurt so damn much.

"big bro?" Asked Izuna concerned.

Madara couldn't look at him, he was trying to rub away the fire in his eyes, couldn't even open them from the pain.

"Your eyes, big bro… They're bleeding..."

* * *

To Naruto, the days seemed to fly by after that.

Even though Ashina had said she couldn't become part of the main family __publicly,__ it didn't seem to stop them from doing it privately. And Naruto learned that the Uzumaki was a big family, in fact it was a huge one.

Kurou and Mito was two siblings out of nine in total…

Their parents was always busy, but friendly whenever they saw Naruto around town. Mito was the only one in the flock of siblings that didn't have a twin, and was seventeen just like Naruto, even though she looked and acted older. She was the fifth child while Kurou was the youngest.

The oldest where twin boys, who Naruto had not met yet. They had already moved out and had started having a family of their own.

They were followed by another set of twin boys that recently had taken over the fifth division squad which was a group of thirty five shinobi who specialized in front line attacks.

Then came Mito, who was a commander part of the third squad which dealt with tracking and capturing.

After that was another set of twins, this time girls, where one had decided to live as a civilians after ending up in a wheelchair. She ran a fuinjutsu store that sold house protecting seals, while her twin sister had recently gotten the rank of commander at the age of fifteen.

Last came Hachirou and Kurou who both where lieutenants. In Uzu there was five ninja ranks in total. At the bottom was officer, then lieutenant followed by commander, then captain and at the top was admiral.

The only three to be admiral in Uzushiogakure was Uzumaki Ashina along with Uzuni Yasu and one other person Naruto didn't know.

She couldn't remember the names of everyone in the Uzumaki family yet, and felt like she was introduced to a new red haired person every day. They hadn't been kidding when they said the red hair gene was dominant.

After three weeks they started discussing the mission she would be doing for them. Free of charge.

Naruto hadn't mentioned to them that she was sleeping on the couch of the apartment Mito shared with her two younger brothers, but she'd be surprised if they didn't know that already.

Naruto hadn't touched money since she lived in Konoha, and had no idea how she was supposed to pay the rent for her own accommodation without doing missions where she got a salary.

The only thing she still had from her own time was two kunais, her old jumpsuit - which she carried at the bottom of the same back pack she found in the ruins of Itanika village - and two forehead protectors. Her own and Sasuke's.

It was what she'd had on her when thrown back in time, and something she never expected to be able to part with.

The mission she'd be doing was basically spying. Figuring out what was going on in water country, and report back to the council together with Mito. To do this however, she had to be taught sign language to communicate in silence while on the job, something she'd never done before nor had much patience with.

To Naruto's immense displeasure, she didn't have much choice in the matter.

As soon as she was explained her mission, she was put to do sign courses with Uzuni Yasu of all people. The old geezer had absolutely no patience with her, was constantly insulting her and generally made her lessons even less motivating then she'd originally feared.

It was like having academy classes all over, except now she knew why her sensei didn't like her.

"How can someone be this stupid? I remember clearly showing you the signs for 'next' and 'line' only two days ago. Maybe Ashina have some tolerance for you, but let me assure you Namikaze, that you still have yet to prove your worth to __me__." He said with a sneer as she failed to sign the sentence 'We will go next in line.'

"Useless you've been so far. Taking advantage of my village, wasting my time on this dreary task of teaching an airhead how to sign things you should have known before you could talk. Clearly you must have grown up under a rock. How can anyone be this dimwitted?" He said under his breath while Naruto tried to sign the sentence correctly this time.

He had a habit of doing that, muttering silently, deteriorating Naruto's spirit while she tried fruitlessly to get everything right.

Kurama had eventually started helping her out, but she had to be careful when letting him be present in such close proximity to Yasu. He was a very gifted tracker, and could notice when the kyūbi chakra started coming out.

Naruto also hated being forced to call him 'master Yasu.'

As one of the leading experts within fuinjutsu and her sign language teacher, he and Ashina insisted she was to refer him with the title.

"If you could take things a little slower __master,__ then maybe I would grasp more you fossil." She muttered annoyed, but silently enough he wouldn't be able to hear.

Naruto didn't know how old the guy was, but she liked to refer him as 'the fossil' when he wasn't around or was far enough away not to catch it. Luckily for her his hearing wasn't very good.

"I can lip-read, Namikaze."

* * *

Coming home after yet another lesson with master Yasu while cursing his none existent nose, she was met to the smell of miso ramen at the door of the apartment.

Mito was making dinner while Kurou and Hachirou sat discussing their last mission. The twins had been gone for two weeks where they had done something together with the Sarutobi clan in Fire Country and come back this very morning.

"Wash your hands Naruto, dinner will be ready soon. Was the lesson any good?" Asked Kurou and looked over his shoulder at the grumpy blonde.

"It was a catastrophe waiting to happen, dattebayo." She muttered and moved over to the sink while the others chuckled.

"What happened?" Asked Mito worriedly, smacking Hachirou on the head with a tea towel for snickering.

"The fossil pointed at me with his pensil and said; 'at one end of this there's an idiot.' I just signed back to him 'witch end?' Apparently the geezer doesn't have a sense of humour." She grumbled, turning of the sink and sat down next to Kurou.

Mito smacked both her brothers this time, but had a smile on her lips all the same while her brothers snickered.

"But I heard from grandfather you'll be ready for our mission soon. We'll be going to the Yuki village and try and gather some intel for the grown ups to decipher." Said Mito while serving everyone their portions.

"Yes, not that the fossil will ever admit I'm good enough. He's so grumpy, dattebyo!" Naruto moaned, but got distracted from being handed her own serving from Mito, and felt saliva gather in her mouth as she got a good draft of the food.

Mito frowned while Hachirou nodded discreetly. Kurou had got a hold of himself and looked his normal pompous self again as he said. "Master Yasu is a very great man Naruto. He's done a lot for Uzu in his years. Do you know he's the one who invented the barrier seal around this village? It's a master piece. Truly unique since you don't have to continuously work to keep it, and it's very strong. It only need to be charged every other week and that can be done by most seal experts once the seal is up." He explained while all of them started eating.

"Kurou is right, he taught me how to do the seal recently, the thing could kill you if you don't preform it correctly." Mito explained and picked up her glass of water.

"Why is that? Does it explode or something if you do it wrong?" Asked Naruto with her mouth full of food.

"Do you have no manners Naruto?" Asked Kurou exasperated and rolled his eyes.

Mito ignored it and glared at her brother scornfully. "No, it doesn't blow up, it's more to do with your own energy. Fuinjutsu is dangerous when you use high level jutsu. The barrier seal could take all your chakra and basically drain you of life force if done without working up your endurance." She explained to Naruto who was more confused then ever.

"Look at it as a stamina race. If you just managed to run five miles in… let's say five minutes to let you understand how intense normal high level fuinjutsu can feel like. Then if you use a seal like… the gravity seal for example. There you use the same amount of chakra stamina that equals five miles in five minutes. The barrier seal master Yasu made requires you to run twenty miles in the same amount of time. You basically just implode if you're not skilled enough." She said and sat back in her chair.

"That doesn't explain why you could die though. Do you snuff it if you use… six minutes for example?" Asked Naruto curiously.

"Yes, because of the relapse in the seal. I'll try to say this as easily as possible..." She said and put down her chopsticks to focus on her explanation instead.

"Think of fuinjutsu as a dish. The end results is your dinner, the ingredients is the composure of the seal, and how you cook it is your own chakra. Do you get it?" She said with one eyebrow raised in the direction of Naruto who nodded.

"When using fuinjutsu you make the seal have all the ingredients with everything that's needed for the end results. You have the five elements, yin, yang and balance of light and heavy which makes up the base ingredients.

Different combinations does different things. Like a little lightning and earth put together with yang results in explosion tags. The skill is something that works outside in, unlike ninjutsu which is inside out. You make the outside, and put your inside chakra into it to create new possibilities. How you use your chakra will also alter how the seal reacts. That's why the barrier seal is so risky, most can't get their chakra to act the right way for it to activate. The barrier uses your chakra and latches onto it until it has it's supposed amount of fill in the right order. If you're not fast enough, not only will the barrier be weaker, but it will drain you until there's nothing left." She rambled off without a pause.

"Oh… I didn't know that… So if you use space-time ninjutsu in right balance you could potentially transport yourself through a seal connected to your own chakra?" Asked Naruto thinking of her fathers harishin no jutsu. "Eh… well… I'm not sure how that would work, but maybe... yes..?" Said Mito scratching her jaw while thinking.

"That sounds very complicated." Muttered Hachirou while shaking his head.

"Theoretically you can do just about __everything__ with fuinjutsu. You just have to figure out the right combinations, pace and power for it to work." Kurou explained before taking a big mouthful of ramen and chewing while the rest got lost in thoughts.

* * *

Even though Naruto completed her first mission with flying colours, it still didn't warm master Yasu up to her.

As a matter of fact he seemed offended that she had the decency to prove him wrong, and never missed a moment to word his dislike for the blonde.

Naruto had always been able to see the bright side of situations though, and focused on them instead.

She soon found herself being tutored in fuinjutsu by Mito, Kurou and Hachirou every day they didn't have missions. Naruto was glad to find something she was talented in from the beginning, it was just something she could do without having to understand the fundamentals. It was truly more like a puzzle, a puzzle where you used your instincts more then your thought proses. She never understood exactly what Mito was explaining, but eventually always managed to achieve the end result.

It annoyed Kurou that she was progressing in fuinjutsu at such a rapid pace, and after only a year she was as good as he was. Doing everything from home made storing scrolls to wind attack seals. An offensive seal where you could summon a previously stored technique during battle. It was difficult, since while it was being stored it had to be frozen, something that was bordering on space-time ninjutsu.

Another thing she was working on was her elemental ninjutsu. Naruto would never understand why she progressed so rapidly when in company of other people. She'd been alone for years, and while she had gotten stronger after a while, it was nothing like now.

Wind elemental ninjutsu she'd already mastered before in Konoha, and it took her eight years to understand and do earth and water ninjutsu to a fighting standard while wandering in the wild. But in only the last year she'd started doing a descent head start on lightning ninjutsu.

Fire was a no go. She could barely lit a match no matter how much she struggled. Which had always been a sour point for her all the freezing winters sitting cold in caves. Fantasising about doing the great fireball technique on the whole damned forest to get some warmth back in her body.

It didn't take her long to become awfully comfortable in Uzu, feeling at home amongst the many red heads and doing missions while sleeping on the couch in the Uzumaki siblings home.

The only thoughts that kept her from moving in and swearing eternal loyalty to the island village was the thoughts of her friends. Both future and past.

Her restrictions by being an overextended visitor of Uzushiogakure had made the process of finding black Zetsu coming to a full halt.

She used much of her time instead in the library of all places. Combing through the pages in a desperate attempt to find something strong and permanent enough to seal the creature away forever. It was the reason she'd come to Uzu in the first place. Hoping to find something strong enough to seal the damned ink blotch.

But nothing compared to the powers of yin and yang together. Naruto still had the power of the sage of the six path's yang powers, the mark still hidden beneath her constantly bandaged hands - which was done mainly to hide the thing.

She grew so frustrated she'd thrown Sasuke's forehead protector out the window of the library window one day.

Hoping he'd feel her wrath for not getting sent here himself, all the way from the realms beyond.

It had taken her five minutes to pelt out after it in full haste and search frantically for the thing on the rocky shore of the island. Eventually finding it between two rocks, the metal having gotten loose from the fabric in one of the corners from the five story fall.

That evening she'd locked herself within the apartment, staring at Sasuke's forehead protector for hours on end. Glad that no one was at home and she had peace to herself. Her mind whirling with options for how to get rid of Black Zetsu.

She could attempt to kill him again. The last try had gone badly when he disappeared into the earth. She could try to use some of her remaining chakra from the Ichibi. But it wasn't much of that left in her, and she didn't think it would be enough to seal him away for good.

Someone could open it, or maybe eventually he'd find a way to weaken it. Just like Kurama once had tried to do to the seal binding him to Naruto.

Naruto had found some good sealing techniques in the library, but they all had weaknesses. Not being permanent enough for forever was usually the biggest problem.

They could seal him for a hundred years, and then the next generation would have to reseal him again. Naruto couldn't allow the possibility of him ever getting out again.

Instead she'd started thinking of using the death ripper seal.

Kurama hated the idea. Of course he would have to be released while she was doing the sealing, so it wasn't his own death he feared. He would never admit to it but Naruto knew he cared a lot about her.

The seal was strong enough to bind even a bijū. But then she would have to sacrifice herself, and at the same time doom some poor soul into dealing with that thing for the rest of their life.

The death ripper seal would probably be the best option for getting rid of black Zetsu as far as she could see. Since once the container died the person would take black Zetsu with him or her, and as far as Naruto knew, unlike a bijū who'd just reform itself a while after the container died, that was something beyond Black Zetsu's power.

There was now another option too… It was the reason she found herself alone at home freaking out after the long day at the library.

But that… That... was something Naruto had never imagined she would consider before now... It was black…

And so very painful it hurt to even consider it.

* * *

It was after two years of staying in Uzu that Naruto went with Mito to the Land of Water in an attempt to steal a stolen scroll.

It had originated from the Uzumaki archive right next to the library which contained a very powerful bijū sealing technique. The situation with the Yuki clan was tense, but so far no one had attacked each other.

Ashina was in constant dialogue with them these days, trying to ease the pressure and attempt to come to an agreement which would avoid a war. This thievery was not at all appreciated, and also something the leader of the Yuki clan had denied being part of.

Instead it seemed like a small group of rebels within the clan had acted on their own. At least that was Ashina's guess.

Naruto didn't like the situations, mostly because she knew she soon had to leave Uzu. The idea of leaving the village when they soon might end up in war left a nasty after taste in her mouth.

But she was needed in Fire Country, and had held off going back long enough as it was. Even if she hadn't made progress in finding Black Zetsu she had grown stronger, and her aid was probably needed if the rumours she heard about their war were true.

First however; she had this mission to complete. And while she hated herself for it, she had become very attached to the members of her clan and was delaying her departure. Another unmotivateing factor was that it would suck to go back to living in caves and on grass after so long in comfortable living arrangements.

When they started their mission it took Naruto and Mito three days to get to the Yuki village, and another day finding the location of the rebels hideout.

Naruto was in full sensor mode without tapping into Kurama's power, since Mito still had no idea of what she was.

They moved quietly over the rocky shore as they got closer to their target. It was an uncomfortably open area without any vegetation or good hiding places. The only areas suitable for cover was when lying low between some of the taller rocks.

There was a large gathering of seagulls not far away, blabbering loudly and drawing attention to themselves. It was early in the morning and the sun had only been out for an hour when Naruto finally felt their chakra signature.

Wherever they were hiding it had to be underneath the ground.

"I think the entrance has to be hidden between the rocks around here." Signed Mito and Naruto nodded after a few seconds deciphering of the hand signs. She still wasn't fluent in signing and always had to think before she understood what was being said. Naruto had also noticed the difference in speed Mito signed when talking to her in contrast to how she signed with her brothers.

They immediately started searching the shore for any irregularities. Some metal sticking out from beneath the rocks, a seal inscribed on a boulder, anything at all really.

It was a dreary job that could get incredibly boring in other situations. This one however was more risky. They didn't want to get discovered. These rebels was the main reason the Yuki village still hadn't agreed to the peace treaty, constantly firing up arguments for going to war and rallying anyone who'd listen.

They would not get a warm welcome if they were caught.

After four hours Mito finally found a small wooden trap door in the ground that looked like an entrance to a wine storage. It had been camouflaged with a thin layer of sand and dirt. Naruto could feel three people underneath them, all a little distance away. Their chakra was relaxed and pleasant.

"We should lure them out." Signed Naruto slowly.

"How?" Mito signed back at the same pace.

"Explosion tag?"

"Maybe something less obvious." Mito signed and rolled her eyes. "We are not to be discovered."

"Maybe fell a tree? Make it look like an accident?" Naruto signed back.

Mito looked around with an exasperated look and signed quickly. "There's no trees."

__'Oh, right.'_ _

"Throw some boulders around?"

Mito stopped and thought for a moment, after a few moments she nodded. "I can't think of anything better, lets go for it."

They used a reversed gravity seal for the distraction. It was a technique which had some of the same qualities as dust release had, it could make things lighter, but only for short periods of time.

They found the biggest loose boulder within hearing distance, and Naruto who still was practising this seal watched as Mito preformed it. It wouldn't be good to blow up the stone instead of lifting it after all.

While Mito concentrated on keeping the seal activated, Naruto lifted it up.

It would only stay light for a second after Mito removed her hand, but it was the time frame they needed for it to be heavy enough when it landed again. It was usually used to throw heavy things at enemies which then turned heavy enough to cause damage when it hit.

The boulder crashed to the ground with an earth trembling roar of sound.

Naruto then threw herself in the ocean, swam closer to the entrance, and hid behind the rocks amongst the shore as she waited for them to come check out the commotion. Mito ran behind some rocks and lied down in the opposite direction.

The water was icy cold, and Naruto hoped they wouldn't take too long getting up here.

She felt as their signature jump in surprise at the sound, and then how they rushed towards the entrance.

Before they came out they halted, probably talking to each other before coming out. Eventually all three emerged looking around for what had caused the small earthquake. After a few words was exchanged, they moved away from the entrance to scout around.

With a mischievous smile on her face, Naruto took her chance to break entrance. Mito was to stay upstairs and keep distracting the rebels while the blond went inside.

She jumped into the whole as Mito made another stone crash to the ground a little away. This time from the another direction then the last. Landing in a tight fitted tunnel Naruto analysed her surroundings while she walked further into the dark without hesitation.

It was a stuffy place. The air was so filled with the smell of salt she wrinkled her nose in displeasure. The corridor looked like it had been blasted out with explosive tags since the walls was made of raw rocks that stuck out irregularly, and the width changed length at random.

Whatever ceiling there was had cracks in it, making sunlight from above stream through where the ceiling was tallest and in other areas make Naruto having to crouch down.

After about a hundred metres she reached the light of another room.

Whatever lack of maintenance the corridor had, this looked ten times better. The walls were even and the room perfectly square. The floor was tiled and a small window had been placed in the corner that looked out on the ocean through a gap Naruto would have problems sticking her head through. It looked like the chamber was even with the shore, so far out it was almost in the ocean for them to have that view through the window.

She instantly started searching through the scrolls littering the only furniture in the room. A table.

Nothing seemed to fit the description. While she looked she started fretting they might have taken it with her.

Scroll after scroll she peaked through. An order form for a special kunai from wind country, a picture of a young girl that reminded Naruto of the missing ninja Haku, a list of top ten most hated Uzumaki's but still no fuinjutsu seals at all.

She realised after five minutes that the scroll wasn't there, and started touching the walls for secret hiding places. She roamed every surface and corner in growing frustration.

It wasn't here. Where on earth could it be? They must have taken it with them. Or hid it somewhere else.

A loud noise broke her concentration. A thumping sound that seemed to ring loudly in contrast to the earlier silence of the room and made her jump in fright. In shock she felt the presence she'd till now somehow missed. But it was coming from underneath her.

Eyes wide she realised there had to be another room. Something underneath the flat tiling, and down there was a fourth person.

Another thump.

It didn't sound like footsteps, more like someone was knocking against a hard surface with their fist.

Bending down and crawling on all four she looked underneath the table. There was a small unevenness in the heights here, and the grout was missing from between some of the tiles, forming a square large enough for a person to fit in.

Slowly she started fondling with the gaps, it felt like another trap door, it had to be an opening. And someone was stuck down there. She could now feel it.

Whoever was underneath must have felt her pacing and started knocking. Maybe it was a civilians since she hadn't noticed their chakra before now. It was so weak she barely sensed it while she knew perfectly well the poor person was only centimetres away knocking on the door.

Finally she managed to pry it open enough for her to get a grip around the edge. Hiving it open and looking down.

It was a woman. She had dark brown, unkempt hair with a red tinge to it and black eyes as she stared up at her. The woman was so pale and ragged looking Naruto wondered how long she'd been down there.

"Come on miss. Let's get you out of here." Naruto whispered and tried to come off as warm as possible. Attempting very hard not to imagine why three men had this woman locked up in a whole in their hideout.

Reaching down her arm for her to grasp the woman hesitated before taking it.

It took a few tries to get her up, and Naruto quickly realised why once she was getting to her feet on her level. She was __very__ obviously pregnant.

The woman was studying her closely with furrowed brows as they walked towards the exit. Naruto having completely forgotten about her mission before they were almost by the trap door. The silence between them were awkward, but neither seemed to dare talk before they were a safe distance away from here.

Naruto could feel Mito far to the south and the closest person had to be about two hundred metres away. Hopefully he wouldn't spot them coming out.

By the entrance there was a ladder she hadn't taken notice off earlier, and turned to look at the woman before going up.

"I'll go first. They're still out there, and it's better if I check out the situation first." She whispered and the woman who was still scrutinising her nodded slowly.

The coast was clear enough. The man was distracted as he walked away from them while Naruto helped the woman up after her. They ran as quietly and quickly as they dared for cover towards the higher terrain where there was better places to hide.

Behind the first growing bushes from the ocean, they crouched low while Naruto searched for Mito's location. She was barely within reach of her sensory abilities without using sage chakra or Kurama. Now having moved about half a kilometre south-east.

The woman still hadn't spoken, only followed mutely after Naruto in her dirty dress and torn sandals.

"My comrade is southwards, I'll move you higher up. I need to get to her before leaving. Is it alright if we hide you while I can get her?" Asked Naruto through a barely moving mouth. She only nodded again, seemingly happy to follow whatever Naruto suggested as long as it didn't involve going back.

After getting her between two boulders which was overgrown with bushes, Naruto felt secure enough that the woman was well hidden before going to get Mito.

It took her ten minutes to move around the men without being noticed and get a very confused Mito to come back with her, while signing what had occurred down in the hideout. Mito was surprised and understanding of the situations, and looked disgustingly over her shoulder while Naruto explained in detailed sign language exactly what she felt the men deserved.

Only to find the woman no longer where she'd left her.

"She was here. I hid her myself." Signed Naruto wide eyed and gesturing to the now abandoned bushes.

"Then find her. Use your sensor skill, already. You are better at that then me." Mito signed back frustrated. "I can't. She barely has chakra. I wont find her." Naruto signed, becoming panicked at the idea that she'd been recaptured.

Mito rolled her eyes and started looking around. "Then we'll do it the old fashioned way" Signed Mito as she bent down towards the ground. After a minute of confusion Naruto realised she was looking for tracks.

"She moved further up, away from the shore. Alone. She probably got nervous." Signed Mito and started moving in the explained direction.

She kept her eyes on the ground as they trailed the tracks, there was soft earth here which made even Naruto able to see the soft footprints.

They themselves was moving from rock to rock whenever possible to avoid leaving a trail, since there was no trees to jump through. Eventually they were a good distance away, and the men so far behind them that they started increasing their tempo. Jogging while they scouted for her.

But the woman was gone. After three hours they realised she had to have some skills after all. Her tracks suddenly evaporated completely in the middle of a field. No trace of anyone coming, only hers arriving.

"Great, not only a failed mission, but also a failed tracking and rescue." Muttered Naruto and stared annoyed down at the last footprint.

"Come on. They must have realised someone was inside by now. We'll have to return to Uzu as soon as possible if we don't want the whole Yuki rebellion tailing our exit from water country." Said Mito and patted Naruto on the head as if she was a child throwing a tantrum.

"Fine, but I still think we should have taken a more direct approach dealing with those bastards." Naruto replied and followed Mito as they headed for the ocean once again. She was not looking forwards to the satisfaction Yasu would get from hearing her first uncompleted mission.

He'd be nastily satisfied in her failure.

* * *

As an allied of Uzu and unofficial honorary member of the Uzumaki clan, Naruto was expected to show up on time for things like this.

Ashina had summoned her the night before to meet up at six in the Village hall for a mission briefing. It was now half past seven, and Naruto was forcing her left hand through the sleeve of her haori while she pelted through the streets of Uzushigakure.

Opening the doors of the main entrance with a bang she vaguely heard Sakura - the receptionist with the same name of her old team mate - sing a high; "Good morning Naruto-chan!" when she was already half way up the stairs.

She came to an abrupt halt in front of master Yasu who turned to look at her. He was leaving meeting room three and his frown got even deeper than before at the sight of Naruto. "You are late." he snapped, and without a second glance marched down the corridor.

Naruto wondered why he hadn't taken the opportunity to insult her for a little longer while she dried her forehead for sweat, and looked down at her clothes to check she looked somewhat presentable.

Then hurriedly took of her haori again after she realised it was inside out, before replacing it back the correct way around.

Naruto gripped the handle carefully and walked through the doors.

"It has to be decided today. I can't wai-" Said a male voice from the table where the council usually sat.

Naruto didn't recognise the voice, but she sure recognised the person behind it. His hair was longer and much darker then her own. He was taller then Ashina and sat with his hands folded in front of him on the table as they turned to see who had entered.

It was Hashirama.


	10. Black Ice

**Chapter nine - Black Ice**

_Black ice, sometimes called clear ice, refers to a thin coating of glazed ice on a surface. The ice itself is not black, but virtually transparent. The typically low levels of noticeable ice pellets, snow or sleet surrounding black ice means that areas of the ice are often is practically invisible to your eyes. There is thus a risk of skidding due to the loss of traction._

* * *

 

Naruto froze dead in her track while a sound of surprise escaped her mouth. Hashirama looked confused over at her while Ashina wore an annoyed frown as he soundlessly scolded her for being late.

"Hashirama?" Asked Naruto in wonder, suddenly not sure if it was him after all. The boy she'd known had changed so much.

He was no longer the scrawny twelve year old with the funny haircut. To Naruto he looked much closer to how his grown up state would become. She'd only seen him looking close to this the one time he'd been edo tensei during the fourth ninja war. His face and body wasn't as built yet, but still miles away from what he'd looked like six years previously.

He seemed confused as his head tilted to the side and kept looking back at her. Clearly he didn't recognise her.

"It's me, Naruto. Remember me?" She asked and grinned widely.

For a moment he seemed utterly disbelieving, but then a light of recollection shot up in his eyes and his mouth opened in surprise.

"Naruto?!" He exclaimed while getting to his feet and running over to her. Naruto had to laugh when he proceeded by hugging the living daylight out of her.

"Where the hell have you been? I was afraid you had died! You said you would come back. What are you doing here?" He asked. One question stumbling out in a rush after the other while he put her down again.

She chuckled while looking up at his tanned, smiling face. Naruto also had to look _up_ at him now, before they'd been even in hight. Hashirama had gone through a very significant growth spurt while she'd been gone.

"I came here two years ago. I've been planning on heading back soon. A lot has been going on, but what are you doing here?" She asked in wonder. Had he been __this__ tanned back then?

"We're coming with a proposition for a new alliance with the Uzumaki clan." Said a second voice.

Naruto looked confused over to the newcomer who stood behind her in the doorway. This one she recognised at once.

No one else in future or the past had two coloured hair the way the youngest of the Senju brothers did. He was a lot taller then she remembered him, looking stretched the way young people who grow too fast for their own good do. He was wearing very similar clothing to what she remembered Hashirama did at that age.

"Itama!" Naruto squealed and hugged him too. "Look at you! You've grown so much! How old are you now? Thirteen?" She asked, looking him up and down in the doorway.

"Twelve." He corrected, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment at her forwardness, but also seeming rather pleased.

"I see I'm witnessing the reunion of old friends." Said Ashina from the table and gestured towards them with his hand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Ashina-dono." Said Hashirama and bowed. "Naruto is a dear, old friend who I feared had been killed. I apologise for so rudely running away from our conversation." He explained, and truly did look remorseful.

"No need to apologize. Naruto is a beloved friend of my family as well, many of my grandchildren would have reacted the same way if she was thought deceased."

"Stop talking about my death will yah'? I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, dattebayo." Said Naruto and huffed.

"I would hope not Naruto, and while this is surely a long awaited reunion it will have to wait a bit longer, we're in the middle of a meeting right now. Wait outside until we're finished here." Said Ashina and gestured towards the door, but before Naruto could leave Hashirama held up his hand.

"No, that wont be necessary Ashina-dono. Naruto is a friend and I don't believe she'll be a threat. She will most likely ask what's going on afterwards, and I don't see the point of keeping this hidden." Explained Hashirama to Ashina.

He looked thoughtful before he nodded. "If that's alright with you, then do come in Naruto."

As all three sat down around the council table, Ashina studied their friendly behaviour towards each other. He'd never heard anything about Naruto knowing the Senju clan head. The only reference he'd ever heard of, was that she'd avoided their village because of the turbulent war times. Ashina was curious to how they could have met at all.

"You two must have come a long way Hashirama-dono. Can your clan spare your absence for so long?" Asked Ashina while looking from one brother to the other. __Both so very young__ , he though privately to himself.

"We have to leave as soon as possible Ashina-dono. You've been a friend of the Senju, and my uncle, for a long time. My uncle always talked highly of you and your skills, both as a leader and as a shinobi." Started Hashirama while Itama drank a sip from the tea Ashina had ready for them on the table.

"You come to seek aid I gather." Said Ashina looking grim.

"Yes, the Uchiha is a very powerful clan, this you already know. We're equal in strength to the very last man, and unfortunately- child." He said, avoiding looking in Naruto's direction.

The blonde was listening intently, trying to piece together what was __not__ being said. That things were going badly.

"I'm truly sorry for your suffering Hashirama-dono. I had hoped this war would have ended by now. You've lived in nothing but harsh days my boy." Said Ashina sincerely. "But you know how much we've struggled to keep out of the clan wars. We have something resembling peace here in Uzushiogakure, at least for as long we can keep the Yuki clan from starting up a war. To send my soldiers out to fight in a war that is not our own..." He trailed off looking over at Naruto. "We want to stay peaceful." he added dejectedly.

"I was afraid that would be your answer Ashina-dono. But I had to come, had to ask. I do not blame you of course, no one knows better then I how valuable peace is." He said looking down at his hands.

"But I'll ask you one other thing. And you are of course free to refuse, the Senjus won't hold it against you. Would you consider lending us aid through your skills?" Asked Hashirama, looking weary when he met the Uzu leaders gaze once again.

"Not the ones for offences, but the protective arts you've mastered. I've heard rumours of the protection barrier around Uzu all the way back in Fire Country Ashina-dono. The families at home is protected by nothing but soldiers. We do not have the fuinjutsu skills like yours. Would you consider… Helping us protect what we fight for? I would forever be in your debt. And I keep my word." He said seriously and searched carefully for the elders reaction.

Naruto looked at her friend. The young man who had been forced to grow up too quickly, the childish boy she'd met up on the mountain. One of her precious people.

He seemed so down. So grieved by his burdens and losses as he sat there and pleaded for help, she should have come back sooner. She'd gotten sidetracked here in Uzushiogakure.

"You would need an Uzumaki to activate those shields Hashirama-dono, I won't teach them to you. And we wouldn't have time according to what you say of your haste. They're very intricate, and done wrong could cost the user his or her life." Explained Ashina gravely while his head went slowly from side to side.

"I'm half Uzumaki… I could do it." Suggested Naruto, she knew this would be unfair to Madara but right now she had to help Hashirama.

"This is more to do with being a seal master, and while you're getting better everyday you're not at that level yet." Said Ashina kindly.

"You're an Uzumaki?" Asked Hashirama confused.

"My mum was, so yes. Half Namikaze, half Uzumaki." Replied Naruto. "And I'll join you on your way back home Hashirama, I've put this off for way too long. I'm so grateful Ashina, for both you and your family, but this is something I have to do. I gave Hashirama my word once and I never go back on it." She said determinately.

Ashina didn't seem to like the idea at all.

"Naruto... This is your home now, you've helped us greatly since you arrived. You said you wanted peace but what can you do to stop this?" He asked and everyone seemed to want her genuine answer.

"For one, you can never give up. No matter how many times you're beaten and kicked down you have to get back up. I have no idea how many times that's happened to me, but it's far above what I can count. It's never stopped me before and I won't stop now. I'm going back. Not to fight the Uchiha. I understand why you have to Hashirama, so I'll try to become a messenger. Nothing will be achieved if there isn't some form of communication. I can do that. I might not be the best with words but from what I've been told I can be very persuasive." She said and Ashina snorted. Clearly remembering one of her many passionate speeches.

"I can't force you to stay Naruto, but you'll be welcomed back at any time." Said Ashina as he realised Naruto had already decided to go.

"Then I'm going too." Said a calm a feminine voice in the doorway. All four turned their heads to see Mito standing there with her hands on her hip and a determined expression.

"I can do the security seals, I've done them for over a year now. And someone has to make sure Naruto doesn't wander into a bomb zone by accident." She said and shrugged her shoulders as if to indicate this was something that happened regularly. Mito looked as ready to fight as if Naruto had challenged her to a spar.

"Mito! You have obligations here and I don't want our clan mixed into this war."

"I'll put up a security barrier, it's really not such a big deal. They don't have to know it was us do they? I'll keep hidden within the barrier and they wont get past that. The Uchiha might be masters in ninjutsu, but fuinjutsu could be written in latin for all they know. They don't even have decent exploding tags." She said, looking just as determined as Naruto had been.

Apparently stubbornness ran strong in the Uzumaki blood.

The Senju brothers and Naruto was ushered out of the meeting room soon after, Ashina and Mito getting into a big argument the moment the door was shut behind them. They could plainly hear Ashina's argumentative voice through the wooden room separator.

The three intruders looked at each other and a smile broke out on all of their faces as they started walking down the corridor.

"When are you leaving? I'll have to pack and say bye to a few people before I go with you." Explained Naruto while they reached the reception. Sakura waved happily at all three of them as they passed with a singing; "Hope to see you soon Senju-dono, Senju-san and Naruto-chan!"

"Tonight, we just arrived here about two hours ago and asked audience with Ashina-dono with urgency. I think we might have crashed your mission briefing." Said Hashirama and smiled back at the receptionist who got a blush to match her hair.

"I see… Then I'll meet you tonight. When exactly? And where?" She inquired when they stepped onto the street outside, Itama looking curiously up and down the colourful street while the sun rose over the morning sky.

Hashirama's eyes grew gentle when he looked at her, and some of the tension in his gaze seemed to lessen.

"At the pier, at eight." Said Itama instead and tugged at Naruto's haori. "And this is dirty. Don't you wash your clothes even now when you don't live like a beggar?" He added with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Oy, I washed that a week ago. I just woke up a little late that's all. I had to grab the first thing I found." She said as they started walking down the street.

* * *

"Late again, are we?" Said master Yasu and looked annoyed down at her. Naruto decided to ignore him, she'd hoped to leave without having to come in contact with this unbearable fossil.

"Kurou! I was looking for you! I'm so happy you're here since I wanted to say goodbye before I left." Naruto exclaimed while panting heavily.

They were down by the docks at sunset after a very hectic day for Naruto. It had included packing and saying goodbye to everyone, and she'd ' _ _somehow'__ forgotten going by the fossil in her haste.

She was standing with her hands on her knees smiling to Kurou when she spotted the large number of people who was there for their departure. Itama, Hashirama and Ashina was next to a woman she'd never seen before, and Mito was looking amused next to Yasu.

"That won't be necessary, Naruto. Since I'm joining you." He said looking over at his grumbling grandfather and a very pleased looking Mito.

"You are! That's great! I mean..." She said looking nervously at Ashina. "It'll be really dangerous, dattebayo."

Kurou rolled his eyes and Itama snickered. "Em.. Are you coming too?" Naruto asked looking at Yasu who was as grumpy as ever.

"Of __course__ not. We have decided to let two of our shinobi come along with Senju Hashirama, but on the way there they will have to do a mission. You will be a part of this mission as well. Look at it as departing chore to the village that's been too welcoming of you for my taste." He said and the unknown woman looked from master Yasu to Naruto with one eyebrow raised.

"Is she the mission?" Asked Naruto and pointed at the woman. She finally took properly in her eerily familiar appearance and suddenly stuttered.

"I-It's you! I saved you last week in Water Country! What are you doing here? Who are you? Why did you disappear?" Naruto started asking without letting anyone interfere while she rambled on.

"I was so worried, dattebayo! I thought you could have been captured again, but there was no footprints. We tracked you for three hours but you just disappeared! And I can feel your chakra now, I couldn't back then, are you a ninja too? Wha-" But before she could continue Mito put her hand over her mouth while laughing at her antics.

"This is Ren. She needs to be escorted back home so she can get back to her family. They live not too far out of the route to the Senju lands. That's why I'm giving this mission to Mito, Kurou and yourself so you can escort her back to Karonichi village." Wheezed Yasu haughtily while looking at Naruto with contempt.

She would never understand why he had such a huge problem with her. It didn't make any sense at all.

"Yes, Ren showed up here two days ago and needed medical care. I understood she was the woman you talked about from your mission after hearing her story. She was not sure if you were friend and foe, so she took her chance to get away you see." Explained Ashina kindly.

Naruto nodded and smiled brightly back to Ren. She looked a hundred times better now, which was why the blond hadn't immediately recognised her.

Ren had a change of clothes, a new dress that looked a lot like the ones the Uzumaki family sometimes wore and her hair was brushed and the dirt from skin and hair was washed away.

It looked like whatever she'd been through hadn't been bad enough to harm her baby either. As Naruto contemplated if she should ask or not about what happened, she decided it wouldn't be wise. If something was needed to know then most likely Ashina would have told them by now.

"Nice to meet you Ren, I'm Namikaze Naruto, dattebayo!" She exclaimed and reached out her hand in greeting. The woman seemed just as sceptical as she'd been back in the hideout, but reached out her hand and shook it after a few seconds.

"Nice to meet you Naruto-san. I thank you for what you did for me. As I understood it you did not expect to find me down there." She greeted Naruto with a deep, calming voice that reminded her of the bottom of the ocean. A voice that rang of security and insight.

"No need for thanks. I would have done that for anyone." She said smiling broadly back.

Ren didn't appear to like the reply, since she raised her eyebrow sceptically and said. "Even those men?"

There was an awkward silence that followed those words, while Naruto scratched the back of her head uncomfortably.

"At least she got you out Ren, but now for the mission. Hashirama is needed at home as soon as possible, so he will only be with you for the first two days. He'll use the time to do some extra chores before joining you back to their village. Ren can't actually run since she has one month left before the little one arrives. She's in good health though, and can still walk quickly. There is a possibility for an attack. You are of the Senju and Uzumaki clan after all, and it's always a risk of getting attacked because of that, but Ren has been held a hostage, and there is a small risk of attack because of that. Everything clear?" Said Ashina and tried to steer the conversation onto a new subject.

"Yes, I'll have to leave you, but Itama will work as your guide after I go." Explained Hashirama and smiled to Naruto.

"I see, and Mito is coming to put up the barrier right?" Asked Naruto but looked confused over at Kurou.

Mito laughed and patted her shoulder. "That too, but mostly I'm coming to make sure you keep all your limbs intact. The Senju also owe us a favour now, it's good business. We're not going to get involved with the fighting, we're going to protect those who can't protect themselves. The sick, the injured, the civilians and the old. The same way we do here." She said making a circle with her hand, as to indicate the invisible barrier around them.

Kurou then added. "And I'm going to make sure Mito does as she promises and doesn't get herself mixed between a Senju and an Uchiha."

Naruto tried to grin while laughing nervously.

* * *

"You should have seen it, Naruto. I made that Uchiha run away with his tail between his knees! It was hi-la-ri-o-us. And then when the third guy saw the one I'd killed, the other got scared off as well. Right, brother?" Gloated Itama as the six companions walked through the forest. They were heading west from Uzushigakure towards the land of fire.

Hashirama didn't reply, but Naruto certainly did.

"Itama! You killed someone! He was someone's son and someone's friend. I won't tolerate hearing you making jokes over something so sad. I understand you're in a war and I understand why you're being forced to kill to survive. But show some respect for the dead." She growled to the shorter boy who instantly recoiled at the look in her eyes.

"Naruto is right, Itama. There is no glory in this war. Only destruction." Said Hashirama who walked ahead of them in his low, soothing voice.

"Forgive me." Itama replied, but unlike Hashirama he didn't smack into a ball of depression. Naruto almost wished he did. Some comic relief was really needed in such terrible times.

"How long will it take to get to the Senju village?" Asked Mito who was walking next to her younger brother with Ren behind the rest. It was their responsibility to make sure she got from A to B without a scratch.

"Two weeks I would think, with this pace it's a lot longer than when we run. Hopefully there won't have been another battle. Itama and I left fresh from the last fight to Uzu for help. Neither the Uchiha or the Senju would have had time to recover in such a short time." He answered as they came into a clearing in the forest which opened up to rocky field.

"How long was that? When did you leave?" asked Kurou curiously.

"Hmm… About a weeks ago..." Answered Itama as they started the decent up the mountain. "We had to take it easy at first, the last battle lasted for hours. Madara is such a bastard. He doesn't seem bothered with fighting anyone except brother here. No one else is 'worthy'." He said while doing quotation marks with his fingers and continued irritably as they climbed steadily upwards.

"Brother can't focus on anything but keeping that bastard at bay. He's a damned monster you know. Completely ruthless. Wouldn't surprise me if he took down his own brother when he gets all blood-lusted and stuff." He said and crossed his arms in front of him. Naruto looked irritably over at him and was about to give him another piece of her mind when Hashirama interrupted.

"He wouldn't do that, Itama. There's no one he would protect more fiercely then Izuna. He cherish his brother's life more then his own." Said Hashirama sternly to his youngest brother.

"But you have to agree the guy is a maniac? I mean, I know you were friends for like a summer or something, but he's gone bonkers, you know. Every time we meet in battle he seems more hell bent on killing you then actually winning the war." Said Itama stubbornly.

Mito joined Hashirama in the front and tried to change the subject. She had noticed how stiff Naruto and Hashirama got from the subject. So she got the oldest Senju's attention by asking something that she'd been wondering about for a few hours already.

"Who's leading the Senju while you're away? I mean, my father said you were the leader of the Senju clan now." Mito asked while trying to keep Itama out of the conversation.

"What? Where's Suoma?" Asked Naruto before Hashirama could answer.

"He died fighting Uchiha Tajima." He answered and saw the empathic but confused look on his blonde friend and added. "Madara's deceased father."

Naruto's eyes widened and nodded carefully while observing the dark shadow which fell over Hashirama's face. "So you're leading the Senju now? And if his father is dead, does that mean Madara has taken over as leader of the Uchiha?" Naruto asked aloud.

"Yes, they've both been leaders for a while now-" Started Itama and looked at Naruto ready to give a full summary.

"But what about now? You didn't answer, Hashirama." Interrupted Mito, noticing how Itama was about to start another rant about all the worst aspects of Uchiha Madara.

"Tobirama is leading the village in my absence. He's a little younger than me but very strong. He's also the sensible one of us." Hashirama looked from the red head to the blonde and added. "He'll be glad to see you again, Naruto. I think he wants a match with you after he saw your performance by the river that day." Hashirama said and grinned back to Naruto.

"Let him try! I won't loose to little, bitty Tobirama! I know he's your brother and all, but you're not the only ones who's gotten stronger in the last six years!" She said eagerly at the aspect of fighting the boy who'd become strong enough to be chosen as the second Hokage.

"I don't doubt you, Naruto, but Tobi is fierce. I've never seen anyone use water jutsu like him anywhere in the world." He said and chuckled at the competitive aura steaming from Naruto.

"I'm not surprised! But I doubt you've seen anyone like me anywhere in the world either!"

Hashirama laughed and agreed wholeheartedly. "Too true, you're a unique one, Naruto!"

* * *

As nightfall came closer they made camp for the night. Hashirama would leave the morning after the next and run straight for the Sarutobi village who was helping them with supplies.

He'd then meet up with them in Karonichi village in two weeks where they were going to drop off Ren before joining them back home.

Itama lit a fire while Mito prepared food for everyone. They had bagged soup that tasted alright even cold, but it always was better with a warm meal when you travelled.

"So how it is going Hashirama? I understand that the war is still going on, but is it still as bad as it was back then?" Asked Naruto while they ate.

Hashirama turned to her with a serious expression and reluctantly started talking. Was it one thing he hated was the lack of progress in this war, both to win it and the lack of progress coming to an agreement.

"Actually…. I think it's worse… A couple of years ago there was a really bad attack on our village. It got very intense and at the end my uncle Suoma was killed which is when I became the new leader. It also resulted in Madara and I killing each others fathers..." He explained without looking properly at Naruto when her mouth fell open.

' _ _How on earth could they have done that to each other?'__

"It took me a while to get over that, and for some time I gave up on Madara and the Uchiha all together. I realised after a few months that things hadn't truly changed. Not really. It was no more terrible than when my brother was killed, but it was just seeing Madara doing it that truly set me off. After some deep thinking sessions I realised I should have hold on to your advice better, Naruto. To never give up. Still, I don't think Madara remember that anymore. He activated a stronger Sharingan that day. They are called the Mangekyō Sharingan and can put people into some truly horrible genjutsu. He has sent a lot of my shinobi into comas after using them and he's still set on all this fighting." He said, sighing heavily and finally looked Naruto in the eyes.

She had no idea how bad things had turned and felt incredibly guilty for letting this happen. The memory of Sasuke being put under the same technique by Itachi was running through her head when Hashirama continued.

"I'm not sure how to approach him anymore. I still believe he wants things to change. How can anyone truly want all this death, you know? But Madara isn't the only one that needs to be convinced. I think if I can get Madara over then the young Uchiha who admire him will tag along. The elders will be difficult though, and those are my main concern." He said and took a spoonful of soup. Mito looked at Kurou who shrugged. They didn't have any suggestions either.

"You need someone impartial, dattebayo." Exclaimed Naruto and pointed to herself. "I think he'll talk to me without trying to cut my head off. At least not before I've finished... Hopefully…." She said and thought back to her first disastrous reunion with Sasuke in Orochimaru's hideout. Sasuke __had__ actually tried to cut her head of if she remembered correctly.

"Or what do you think? Does he remember me at all after all this?"

Hashirama shrugged his shoulder. "At first I wondered if he even remembered me, he seemed set to ignore our friendship at all cost. However, after a while he started showing some recollection again, so yes, I think you're right. There's a much better chance he'll listen to someone who's impartial and never done him anything wrong." Answered Hashirama and smiled hopefully at that thought.

"Things might have worsened back at home, but I still can't get over how great it is to see you Naruto. Especially how you haven't changed at all. You're still so endlessly positive."

Naruto straightened up proudly and grinned an identical smile back at him. "Of course, someone has to stay upbeat in times like this, dattebayo."

Itama chuckled and handed her a water container when she pointed at it. "So you'll fight with us or not?" Asked Itama.

She swayed her head so fast from side to side Kurou wondered how she didn't get a whiplash. "No, no, no. Didn't you listen? I'm the messenger Itama, I ca-" She started but stopped abruptly.

Naruto looked over at Ren who'd remained quiet for the whole journey. So far she'd only listened calmly without a change in her facial expression.

"What?" Asked Mito in a low voice, immediately tensing at Naruto's behaviour. "Is there someone coming?" She muttered while looking around the trees for incoming enemies.

Naruto nodded towards Ren. "It's them… The Yuki rebels. I recognise some of the chakra signatures, but there's more of them then back in Water Country." She whispered and at once Kurou and Mito got to their feet and helped Ren up.

Hashirama got to his feet too, becoming serious at once while he took in the change in situation. Itama took out a shuriken while Naruto indicated which direction they were coming from. Ren was placed between Mito and Kurou while the Senju brothers joined Naruto in the front.

"They seriously lucked out didn't they brother?" Muttered Itama with a wicked grin on his face. "What is a little ice release compared to the power of the Senju, the Uzumaki and lets not forget our Namikaze."

"I'm an Uzumaki too Itama, and what do you mean with ' _ _our'__." The blond said and rolled her eyes.

"You'll always be Namikaze to me." He said and wagged his eyebrows. It didn't look right on him to Naruto. She missed the innocent little boy she'd rescued from the big bad Uchiha.

Ren stood mute as ever, but her face had gone pale as she looked around. Mito peeked at her from the corner of her eye, searching for answers. She couldn't understand why they were so intent on recapturing her.

Naruto aimed carefully between the dark trees, her eyes half closed as she squinted into the night. She knew exactly where they were located, all she had to do was wait for them to come into the right position.

With precision she threw the kunai with blinding speed through the branches of the tree to their left. A pain filled gasp was heard, and a person fell down struck in the leg by her weapon.

The next moment ten Yuki shinobi landed in front of them, the eleventh still moaning in the bushes.

"You have something of ours." Muttered the tallest Yuki ninja from the middle of the row.

"We're not releasing Ren to you and I warn you not to attack us. There's no way we'll lose." Warned Naruto and took one step forwards.

She knew it was better for her, a clan-less young woman, to do the threatening here. They must have already noticed the Uzumaki and Senju symbol on the others, but she didn't wear any clan markings and wouldn't cause the same problems for any village.

Naruto was a Konoha ninja and until that village was built she refused to use any symbol on her clothes.

"So you went to the Uzumakis, eh? We should have guessed. The Sarutobi still have some connections there after all." Growled the man and looked at Ren.

It was with a very small margin that Naruto held in her surprise.

Ren was a Sarutobi clan member? It could be true... She knew from the book Madara had given her so many years ago - which she never had the opportunity to return - that the Sarutobi lived not too far away from Karonichi village.

"Leave!" Naruto growled and pointed sideways into the forest.

"Not without her!" He shouted and pointed at Ren in the back of their formation.

They flew forwards so quickly that Naruto barely had time to stop the two in front of her. Hashirama was using his wood release to catch four, and Itama, Kurou and Mito all had one each. One managed to break out of Hashirama's technique and ran at Ren.

The brunette stumbled backwards as the man got a hold of her arm, but Kurou had just used a binding seal on his own enemy and hit Ren's attacker hard in the head which knocked him out.

Ren shouted as she lay on the ground, the man had stabbed her arm as he fell. It was probably not deep, but enough to hurt.

As they dealt with the rest they noticed how Ren wouldn't stop moaning. If she really was a kunoichi it was strange she'd be in this much pain over a stabbing wound like that. Turning to her after the last man was bound to a tree it was only to see Mito sitting bent over the woman with one hand on her stomach.

With wild eyes she turned to Naruto with fear written all over her face.

"She… Ren… The baby! She's in labour!" She exclaimed looking scared out of her mind. It was such an uncharacteristic look on the usually calm and collected girl that Naruto had the absurd wish to laugh.

"What? How?! Ashina said it wasn't due for another month! Babies doesn't get born ahead of time do they?" Asked Itama looking just as out of place as the rest of them.

"Let's get her away from here! Kurou-san, you make sure these guy's can't move for a day!" Bellowed Hashirama while pointing to the Uzumaki boy. "The rest of you, lets find somewhere she'll be more comfortable." he added as he moved his finger from Kurou to Ren.

"Gyaaah!" The labouring woman screamed and squeezed the hand holding onto Mito, making the Uzumaki wince.

"Do anyone have any idea what to do?" Mito whispered helplessly to the others as Hashirama lifted up Ren in his arms.

They all looked lost back at her as Ren cried out again.

"I don't know, but whatever is happening is happening fast!" Said Hashirama and started running with the others hot on his heel.

They raced for ten minutes wildly through the forest. Whatever fear the Yuki ninjas had lit up in them was nothing compared to this. None of them had any idea what so ever how to deal with a woman in labour.

Hashirama lay her down on the grass when they felt they were far enough away, and Mito sat down next to Ren again while fussing over her.

"What do we do? You have to tell us!" She said as Ren moaned in pain again.

"The baby… It's… You have to help catch the baby." She muttered dazedly.

"Oh! I think you're supposed to breathe!" Exclaimed Itama with a snap of his fingers.

"What? Breathe?! That goes for all of us you idiot!" Shouted Mito furiously at Itama.

He raised his hands protectively while shaking his head from side to side. "No, I mean between the cramps or something. I heard the woman next door to us say that once. Breathing between the cramps." He said as Ren gave a long shout of pain.

Mito looked sceptical, but when Ren leaned forwards in agony she seemed to take his advice anyway. "Breathe!" Exclaimed Mito when Ren's pained voice cut off.

And Ren certainly did.

She breathed as fast as if she was running a mile in half a minute while sweat gathered on her brow. Ren was leaning up on her elbows and was getting very red in the face.

Naruto started rummaging through her ragged backpack. She was as useless in this as she was in shogi, but Ren looked warm. So maybe some water would do her good.

"AAAAHAA!" She screamed again, and Naruto who'd just gotten her water container out dropped it in surprise. This time they all could see the movements on her stomach through her dress.

"The baby... is… coming." Ren said weakly as she lied down.

Naruto couldn't picture Mito's mum do this nine whole times. Or maybe it was just five because of all the twins.

But still…

Mito seemed to get a grip on herself as she bent down and parted Ren's legs.

Hashirama and Itama tried discreetly to move away while looking pointedly towards the trees. Naruto moved forwards and bent down next to Mito. "Eh… Can I help?" She asked weakly and the red head whipped her head sideways with the same wild expression that had haunted all of them for the last ten minutes.

"Can you deliver a baby? NO! So shut up, stay put and I'll tell you if I bloody need any help!" Mito snapped so venomously Naruto sat down on command.

At least it didn't last very long.

It was only twenty minutes from Ren's fall to her baby boy was born. The baby looked hideous with all the blood and the umbilical cord still attached. Naruto had no idea why they called it the miracle of birth. It looked more like hell than anything close to a miracle in her opinion.

"Eh… Do you need this?" Asked Naruto and held up her kunai. She still had one clutched in her fist since the short battle earlier.

Mito gave it one dirty look and snapped it out of her hand to cut the cord. Now they just had to figure out how to clean the thing.

"You can use this." Said Itama and handed Mito a black sweater.

Mito had her hands full with the baby so she looked at Naruto pointedly. "What? Me? You want me to clean him?" Asked Naruto looking scared again.

Mito just rolled her eyes and looked over at the sweater Itama was holding out. With a sight she did as she was told and started carefully to remove the blood and chunks attached to the baby's body. "We'll light a fire, he'll need to stay warm right?" Said Hashirama uncertainly.

Mito nodded while Ren sat up and looked at her son in Mito's arms. Naruto was pretty pleased with how well she was cleaning the boy up while he bellowed into the night. As soon as the boy looked presentable Mito gave the boy back to his mother.

For a while she rocked him back and forth to calm him down, a growing smile on her face. The rest looked utterly exhausted and Mito hadn't even noticed how much blood she'd gotten all over herself. Even her hair looked to have some dark patches.

"Why were they trying to capture you again?" Asked Hashirama after a ten minutes time of observing the little family.

"Because they made a mistake. I was caught three months ago while I was heading for Uzu with my brother. He was… It was supposed to be a very short visit, but right on the boarders we were attacked by the rebels. My brother was killed because they thought we were from Uzushiogakure." She explained. Her smile growing sad as she talked.

"My hair looks more red in the sunlight and my brother is a red head... Was… A red head... When they realised their mistake they kept me there while they figured out what to do. They knew my clan was friendly with the Uzumaki, and they were reluctant to get in a fight with my clan on top of Uzu." She said without taking her eyes of the now calm baby.

"Oh… I see…" Said Mito and nodded absent mindedly.

"What will you name him?" Asked Naruto and smiled warmly at the boy. He was sort of cute now that all the gore was gone and he'd stopped torturing their ears.

Ren looked up with a beaming smile and tilted her head to the side. "Hiruzen, after my brother. Sarutobi Hiruzen."

* * *

Two and a half weeks later they arrived in Karonichi village without any more problems. It had been slow for a while because of Ren still being very sore after giving birth, but after Hashirama left them a little later then originally intended, they steadily made their way westwards.

It had taken Naruto a whole week to properly proses that the cheery little boy with very healthy lungs was in fact the man Naruto once had called 'Jiji'.

The whole concept was incredibly hard to wrap her head around, and left her both sad and incredibly happy at the same time. Naruto couldn't truly recognise the wrinkly old man within the soft features of the baby, but maybe around the eyes. He also had a small tuft of dark hair which didn't resemble his mothers.

In whole she felt a surging sense of relief every time she looked at him. This was someone she'd known, someone who'd known her. And the comfort of knowing he'd been born despite Naruto's disturbance in time was enough to make her want to weep.

They met up with Hashirama and a short man who resembled a young version of the third Hokage in Karonichi village. Naruto instantly realised this had to be the father when she spotted him and when he introduced himself as Sarutobi  _ _Sasuke,__ she gaped.

"Oh no, It's nothing… I just used to know someone named Sasuke you see..." She said while waving her hand to stop them from looking funnily at her reaction to meeting the man.

They lived north of the village while the Senju village was further west. After a heartfelt goodbye they went their separate ways.

Sasuke was cooing his son who he was holding for the first time while Ren fussed and reminded him to mind the head.

As they headed for the Senju village at a much faster pace, Naruto felt the happiest she'd been since before the fourth ninja war. The bittersweet longing to see the rest of her friends again burned stronger than in a long time.

Naruto wanted to see them, talk to them, just know they would __be__ once again. Even if it would never be as it once was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for reading and following this story. You're my absolute favourite!
> 
> I hope it was a pleasant surprise to meet baby Hiruzen. The age gap is about right I think. In this story Naruto has been thrown 72 years back before her own birth and 89 years from the fourth shinobi war. Which makes Hiruzen 59 when Naruto was born in her own time line according to my own calculations for this story.
> 
> To clear up any age confusion: Naruto was 13 when she met Hashirama and Madara who was 12. After the first time skip they were 17 and 16 respectively, and now 19 and 18 in this chapter. Six years have passed so far.
> 
> Please forgive any grammar mistakes, English isn't my native language and I do the best I can to avoid them.


	11. Bigot

**Chapter ten – Bigot**

_'_ _B_ _igot' d_ _erive_ _s_ _from the Middle Ages French term of abuse for religious Normans who would frequently use the term "By God"._ _It refers to a_ _person who refuses to discuss, consider or listen t_ _o_ _beliefs or theories contrary to his own._

* * *

They came to the boarders of Senju land at nightfall half a day later. Hashirama invited them to sleep and eat before starting with the barrier since everyone was weary from the journey. But Mito refused and wanted to get the job over with.

So Hashirama and the Uzumaki started going over where the boarders should be and how people would enter, while the rest left for the village.

Naruto had gratefully accepted staying the night, but also told Hashirama she was leaving soon for her own self proclaimed mission. Which was basically to infiltrate the Uchiha village and start beating some sense into Madara without getting killed in the proses.

...Easy…

The Senju village gates was heavily guarded when Naruto, Kurou and Itama arrived. The blonde spotted ninjas following their every step like hungry hawks as Itama led them towards the main entrance. A ninja guard with spiky, sandy brown hair met them in front of it when they tried to get through.

"Itama-kun, it's good to see you back again. But where's Hashirama-sama?" He asked looking worriedly behind the Senju to his two guests while combing his hair with shaking fingers.

"He's right behind us, Tamotsu-san. Going over some protection shields with Uzumaki Mito-san who joined us back home." He said as they were given access to enter. "This is Uzumaki Kurou-san and Namikaze Naruto...-san. They came back with us from Uzushiogakure." He explained while pointing to the indicated person in turn.

He never used honorific when addressing Naruto, so he'd slipped up on her name when introducing her. The guard named Tamotsu looked relieved and gave them a nod before going back to his post.

"We should have some supper first. Come on, we can eat at our house before I show you where you'll stay." Itama suggested and led them through the small village.

Naruto whirled her neck around in every direction to get a good look around as they walked. She found out quickly that the atmosphere was pretty depressing. Most of the people outside their houses looked tired. Many were wounded and in general the most cheery guys she could find seemed well past their alcohol tolerance.

Ignoring the singing drunks by the only open bar, Itama led them to a two story building not far away from what looked like the town centre. Naruto noticed how many of the houses seemed abandoned. As if they once had been in a lot of activity and full of life inside the timber structures before their owners suddenly left them. It was a heartbreaking sight.

Inside the house they were met by Tobirama. "Welcome home Itama, where's brother?" He asked as soon as they had stepped across the door frame. The worry in his voice was clear to all of them.

Naruto was taken aback by how much Tobirama had grown. Long and slim, not yet as built as she knew he would become, but strong for a sixteen year old and probably the fastest of the brothers.

The thing that truly got her attention however, was the changes to his face. His nose looked to be crooked and he had a gash down the left side of his face. It reminded her of the scar Kakashi had over his eye, except this one was a lot rougher and clearly not from a kunai. It looked more like someone had beaten the hell out of him a while ago and he'd healed, but with a few reminders to spare. The Hokage monument nor the edo tensei Tobirama had those characteristics as far as Naruto remembered.

"He's coming soon, Tobi. He's doing some security seals with Uzumaki Mito right now. Do we have anything for dinner? We'll need to make enough for three extra people who'll eat with us tonight. By the way, look who I brought. We found Naruto in Uzu."

It was first now Tobirama looked at the strangers and noticed the blonde girl.

"Naruto? Mah, I thought you were dead." He exclaimed, looking at her with his head tilted to the side. After a second he seemed to realise what he'd just said. "Oh, I apologize, that was rude... Welcome in. I'll see if we can get something for all of us while we wait for brother." He said and ushered them inside.

Naruto and Kurou looked curiously around while Itama gave them a short tour of their home. It was a bare house with few possessions or ornaments. There was not even a couch in the living room, but in the window Naruto spotted two pictures that looked out of place in the empty house.

One was a framed wedding photo of a newly wed couple. Butsuma was easily recognisable, even with the uncharacteristic small smile on his face. Naruto thought the couple looked odd, one was stoic and firm while the woman looked filled to the brink with happiness. It was probably his mother Hashirama got his personality from, but took more appearance wise from his dad. Just like Naruto in fact.

It was also apparent that the situation was the opposite in Tobirama's case. He acted more like his father but was a male version of his mother in looks. Naruto concluded that Itama was a very obvious mix of the two.

The second picture was of four boys standing outside the house in better days, The house appeared new and filled with children toys around the front door.

Hashirama looked a little younger than Naruto had ever seen him, but not by much. He had his hand around another boy Naruto didn't recognise. He had dark eyes and a cross shaped scar on his cheek with light hair like Tobirama. Naruto guessed it was the last brother of the sibling flock who'd died. Kawarama, she thought his name had been.

"That was taken right before our brother died." Explained Tobirama from behind Naruto. She looked back over her shoulder to the middle brother and gave a small smile. "It looks like he was a happy boy." She told him genuinely. There was a wild grin on his face that mirrored Hashirama's exactly. Nothing like the way Itama and Tobirama smiled in the picture.

Tobirama nodded while he studied Naruto. "He was, but that's also what got him killed. Kawarama preferred to play games more than train compared to the rest of us. It's a brutal reality for a child around these parts." Tobirama told her and crossed his armss in front of him.

"I know." She muttered and looked away from his narrow eyes and back to the lively boy in the picture.

With a jolt Naruto realised Itama should have been missing from the household just like Kawarama was. It was stupid she hadn't thought of it before, but she'd never in her own time heard of a Senju Itama. Most likely he had died the day she met him and saved his life from the Uchiha. It was truly a sobering realisation for her, and one Naruto couldn't believe she had overlooked.

"Why didn't you stay with us when you saved Itama? Before the incident with Madara my father talked about letting you join our village." Said Tobirama and tilted his head to the side, as if a different angle would help decipher the mysterious young woman. "And then you joined Uzushiogakure. Was it because they're at peace and we aren't?"

Naruto straightened up and looked back at Tobirama. He was very good at reading between the lines, she remembered that very well from fighting alongside the older edo tensei version of him. She knew without listening to Kurama's advise that she had to be careful with her words.

"I needed to grow stronger Tobirama, there's little you can achieve without power for us ninjas. I share the same dream of Konoha as your brother, and he once told me that no one would listen without growing strong first. I now know that from experience too. I also had other obligations which forced me away from Fire Country." She answered, trying not to go into the details. Was there someone who would start questioning her intentions then it would be __this__ Senju.

"And now you're strong enough?" Asked Tobirama with one raised eyebrow. His scepticism showing in his tone, but his face remained open and curious.

Naruto thought fleetingly about Black Zetsu and felt her fists clench. "No… Not yet, but maybe this is a war which has seen too much power as it is."

* * *

It was an unusual cheery dinner that night inside the wooden house in the Senju village. The three brothers seemed to enjoy the two and a half Uzumakis company. Laughter could be heard far into the evening as they caught up on the brighter things that had occurred in the last six years.

Hashirama and Mito had been effective. They had already taken up the barrier within a couple of hours, and when they returned it was to the smell of dinner ready on the table. Mito looked dead tired, but kept up with the rest until a little before midnight. At that point she simply fell asleep against Naruto's shoulder.

Deciding it was time for bed, Tobirama led them to the guest house they were to stay in while making sure they had everything they needed. Mito fainted as soon as her head hit the pillow, while Naruto, who shared a room with her, dozed of slowly.

But she didn't get to sleep for long.

Naruto woke up early. She'd already asked Kurama to wake her up around four, and the fox had enjoyed his task. Trying to rub away the sleep from her eyes Naruto rose from her bed and silently got dressed.

She had planned to go before any of the others were awake and start on her way to the Uchiha village. It was around a day's run over there and if she wanted to get there by next say around noon she would have to leave now. Naruto rummaged through their backpacks and rearranged things until she had everything she needed, and left the house while the other two slept on.

Before going she decided to leave a scribbled note by the Senju brothers door. Explaining exactly what she was about to do and hoping against hope they wouldn't be too angry. The chances were slim, but a girl could hope.

Naruto left through the gates with a wave to Tamotsu who was the only guards to see her departure.

* * *

Naruto stood shifting from foot to foot. Wondering how the hell she was supposed to do this.

She was hiding behind some boulders in viewing distance from the Uchiha village. The home of the Uchiha clan was located in the middle of a large field which stretched widely out on all sides before the field hit the forest. It must at some point have been trees here too, but the Uchiha had cut them all down to build their village. Today it looked like an open landscape with a village placed in the middle.

It was noon by now, and the sun was grilling the backside of her head as Naruto contemplated how to break entrance into the stronghold of one of the two strongest ninja villages in the world.

Should she just go up and knock on the door? The Uchiha had short tempers - Naruto had plenty of experience with that already - and they might try to shoot her down before she got a word in.

She could try and sneak in, but she suspected that could make her seem a little dodgy if she just appeared in the middle of the village. Between her and the Uchiha members her hair colour did stand out a bit.

__'Just burn the damned village to the ground.'__ Suggested Kurama.

Naruto shooed at him, and stepped out from between the boulders.

Okay, she was __just__ the messenger. Nothing to fear. None of them remembered she'd stabbed one of them in the leg once... Right? It was years ago. They probably didn't remember a thing.

Trying to seem more confident then she felt, the small, blonde young woman marched up to the front gate and knocked without hesitation.

No one answered, so she knocked again. And again. And again.

They couldn't all be out. What sort of clan left their village unprotected? Definitely not the one Madara was in charge off. She could also plainly feel the hostility from the people on the other side of the stone door.

"Okay! Open up! I know you're just on the other side of this gate, dattebayo. Ten in front of me and two a little higher up!" She shouted through the stone gate.

It did the trick.

Naruto had barely finished shouting before the gate opened quicker then she had expected.

Next moment someone had grabbed her by the collar of her haori, and dragged her inside. The gate slammed shut behind her. Looking up she saw red swirling Sharingan on every corner, and felt a massive amount of killing intent.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?!" Shouted the one who had her in his clutches.

"Oy! Let me go you bastard. What did I do, eh? Mah, you should start remembering your manners, mister. I came here to meet the Uchiha leader. I have a message or two for him."

"Oh, you want to see the leader, missy? You won't get to see anyone but the hilt of my chokutō if you don't tell me in this instance what the hell you're doing by our gate." He said and tightened his grip while the rest nodded along to his words.

"I told you, __sir__. I want to speak to the leader. Do you have problems with your hearing?" She fired back.

Naruto knew she was making the situation worse, but hell, these Uchiha were just too arrogant for their own good.

"Oy! Watch your mouth, bitch." Shouted another as the guy holding on to her haori raised his previously mentioned chokutō.

"And I thought the Uchiha was supposed to have great eyesight, you should have them checked, teme! A bitch is a female dog, not a human woman." Naruto continued, heeding the threatening blade by her throat little interest as she rambled on.

"I knocked didn't I? What the hell is a girl supposed to do to contact you Uchiha? Walk out in the middle of a battle? If this is you at your most welcoming, I'd hate to start reasoning with you during a fight. Geeeesh..." She whined to them, and with a swift, firm grip around her assaulter's wrist, she wrenched the arm away so his blade pointed to the side.

"Now... I think I have to make myself clearer. I wish to speak to Uchiha Madara, could you please point me in the right direction? Which I by the way know is to the left and about six houses down the street."

Unsurprisingly to anyone but Naruto, it didn't go very well.

She could hear Kurama groan when the blonde was led through the village with nine blades pointed at different body parts. She might be kick-ass, but they were still Uchiha. They could get lucky and actually hit something if she tried to get loose.

But at least they were finally doing as she asked. Marching her directly to the building Madara was located in. She knew it was the right one, since she'd noticed his chakra from her hiding place behind the boulders outside the village.

Being pushed roughly inside a very dark room with no windows, she was thrown to the ground by three of the ninjas.

"You bastards! I just said I wanted to see the leader, there's no need for violence. You don't want to be on the receiving end of my secret finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death, dattebayo!" She shouted at the retreating backs. A couple gave her the finger, and she stuck her tongue out back at them.

"Naruto?" She heard a deep, husky voice say from somewhere in the dark.

It was eerily similar to the voice Naruto sometimes had nightmares about.

Immediately she was on full guard and stared wildly towards the voice. But the young man that met her stiff gaze was not the insane edo-tensei bastard she'd fought during the fourth war.

It was just Madara.

"You recognised me? Hashirama didn't, you know. How on earth can you see anything in this darkness? Have you heard of windows, Madara? I hear some light is good for you." Said Naruto, nervously trying to ease the tension in the room.

"You're alive..." He answered, not looking away from her face. Naruto got up to sit on her knees in front of him in the dimly lit room. Only a candle next to where Madara sat gave any light at all.

She noticed someone was sitting in a dark corner of the room. What the hell were they doing in here during daytime anyway? It was awfully dark in here, and it seemed strange to have conversations in such bad light...

"Well obviously! It takes quite a bit to kill someone like me, Madara. How are you doing? Quite the reception comity you have out there." She replied, rolling her eyes.

Naruto thought she herd him snicker, but couldn't be sure.

He got to his feet and moved closer, making her able to see him a little clearer. His hair had grown long and spiky by now, and he looked very different from the boy she'd met up on the Hokage mountain. Madara was slim and had started getting rings around his eyes, looking tired and haggard.

"You should sleep more, Madara. You don't look so good." She said, studying his face with squinted eyes to see better through the darkness. It didn't help much.

"And you look beautiful." He answered simply. His voice as monotone as his face.

Naruto felt her cheeks heat up, and for the first time she had no reply. It was a deer in the headlight moment for her while she tried to come up with a witty reply.

"What brings you here, Naruto? I'm glad to see you alive and well, but I doubt this is a social visit." He asked, walking right up to where she was sitting. His feet almost touching her knees where she knelt, now having to crane her neck backwards to keep his face in view.

"Well, I also wanted to check up on you. You're my friend Madara, even if I'm not yours. I'm stubborn that way, dattebayo. But I also have some other business. First; Hashirama asked me to give you this." She explained and reached into her pockets.

The person in the corner tensed up at once and she heard him reach for his weapon, but Madara stayed calm. He just kept looking down at her.

She took out the envelope and handed it up to Madara.

"Another letter of reconciliation?" Asked Madara, and without waiting for Naruto's reply the envelope was on fire. She huffed angrily as she watched the letter burn to ash in his hand.

Getting to her feet she realised she was now shorter than Madara. Damn, she'd enjoyed being the taller for once when they where kids. It looked like that the happy times were long gone.

"Now listen here, Madara! He really wants this war to end and you once wanted that too! Why are you being so stubborn? Can't you see there's nothing to be gained by continuing this horrible battle?" She asked while stubbornly poking him in the ribs. Hard. He didn't seem to notice it.

Maybe Itama had a point when he said Madara had gone 'bonkers'.

"Are you here because of Senju Hashirama? Then get out, Naruto." He said, still maddeningly calm and without emotion.

"Of course I'm not here just because of Hashirama, I also came here to help you! To give you a hand in protecting this place." She said and crossed her hands across her chest.

"But I have to admit my welcome here has been a record low, and if you can't deal with my status as neutral, than I think I'll take that dismissal. Goodbye." Naruto huffed and turned on her heel, only to get whirled right back again by Madara.

"… Sorry…" He said awkwardly. Finally starting to resemble a human being instead of a zombie.

Whomever was lurking in the shadows stepped forwards so Naruto finally could see who it was.

"Izuna! My, you grew taller." She said and smiled widely at the boy who reminded her sometimes of Sasuke.

"Naruto, nice to see you again." He answered in a low soothing voice, but not nearly as deep as Madara's.

"Glad to see you both alive and kicking! Well, partly I should say. Madara seems to be impersonating some sort of statue." She told the younger brother, but it was Madara who smiled. Really smiled.

"It is nice to see you again, Naruto. I'm sorry for our behaviour but you have to be the most reckless girl I've ever met. I could hear you all the way from the gates. You shouldn't pick a fight with the Uchiha guards. I knew you had a habit of speaking before you thought, but by kami, do you have no sense of self preservation?" Madara asked and stepped backwards a bit.

" _ _I__ have no sense of self preservation? Who of us just burned down an offer of alliance and the way to stop your men from being killed?" Naruto retaliated, still pretty pissed off. Madara didn't seem to hear her anger, he just continued smiling.

Which freaked her out a little.

"You mentioned something about offering us some protection? What on earth was that about?" Asked Izuna, stepping forwards to stand next to his brother. Damn, even little Izuna was taller than her. At this rate even Itama was likely to grow taller than her.

"Yes, this." She said and picked up a scroll from the same pocket as the previous letter had been in.

Madara reached out his hand to take it, but Naruto snapped the paper away and didn't give it to him. "Sorry, but you can only look at it if you promise me and your brother that you will not activate your Sharingan. Oh, and your brother has to turn away." She said looking sceptically at Izuna.

"I promise on my honour as the leader of the Uchiha clan that I will not use my Sharingan to copy whatever is on this scroll." Madara replied in an exasperated tone.

Naruto grinned as she started to recognise her friend.

Looking pointedly at Izuna – who rolled his eyes but still turned around – she opened the scroll for Madara to see. He looked intently at it for a while, and as promised he didn't activate his Sharingan.

"This… Is a barrier shield…" He said, his voice sounding disbelieving.

"Yes." Naruto answered.

"A powerful fuinjutsu shield..."

"Yep."

"That will stop anyone not pre-approved from entering the village."

"Mhm."

"And you can activate it?"

"We'll find out."

Madara looked annoyed from the scroll and up at her.

"Hey! I'm pretty decent at seals. I've been taught how it's supposed to be used. I'll do it, dattebayo." She said confidently.

Kurama's grumbling rang inside her head.

She pocketed the seal and grinned at both brothers. "See, not so bad to catch up with old friends once in a while, eh' Madara?"

"I see Hashirama every other month, and I have to say it hasn't done me too much good."

"You two need to sort this out, dattebayo!"

Izuna seemed to get angry with her words and snapped. "Shut up. You don't know anything about this war. The Senju needs to be put down every single one of them. What would someone who's never had anyone know about loss." He muttered while staring daggers at her.

Naruto was so close to snapping at him. Telling him she knew perfectly well what that felt like. Yet here she stood, trying to help the man responsible for taking away everyone she'd ever loved.

Instead she took a step towards Izuna, her voice shaking to hold in her fury and said in a low, dangerous tone. "I think you are the one who don't know what you're talking about."

Madara cut in as the two was about to get into a real fight. "Okay, calm down you two. We don't fight in here. If you want to spar, the training ground is right around the corner." He said half jokingly. Naruto and Izuna however seemed to find this perfect.

Marching out the door and leaving a surprised Madara behind, he hurried after them.

The sunlight seemed harsh as Naruto stepped outside, and she was blinded momentarily from the contrast of the dark room.

Not knowing exactly where she was going, Naruto just tried to keep up with Izuna. Soon they were by the Uchiha training ground which had their emblem carved into a large rock on the side of the field. Madara followed, looking bemused from his brother to the fired up blonde.

As they took their places she looked down at the ground before grinning wickedly to Izuna. "I won't even need to move from this spot, little boy." She taunted from her side of the field while pointing downwards at the earth by her feet.

"Oh yeah? I doubt you'll last five seconds." He replied with ire.

Madara rolled his eyes and lifted up his arm while both waited breathlessly at his signal. Sighing he let it sharply fall vertically.

Naruto and Izuna shouted in unison: "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" And next second both stood there with five clones each on their respective side of the field.

Madara snickered.

Turning angry like a tiger Naruto bellowed to their referee. "What the hell, Madara?! I knew teaching you that technique would come back and bite me in the ass!"

"Language, Naruto. The kage bunshin is quite a popular one on the battlefield, it has been for a few years now. After all, numbers mean a lot when you're in a war. All the Uchiha use it you know. The Senju too." All six Naruto stomped their foot in annoyance at the same time.

"See if I ever teach you a damn thing ever again!" She growled and the five clones charged.

Izuna mimicked her, damn take that Sharingan.

They met mid distance and a tajutsu fight broke out. Izuna seemed as talented in tajutsu as his brother was as he dispelled every clone he could manage. But Naruto was far from as inexperienced in hand to hand combat as she'd been six years ago. In the end she still had two clones left after dispelling all of Izuna's.

The two clones pelted at Izuna, who caught one by the fist and dispelled the other when he twisted sideways and kicked it hard in the ribs. He reminded Naruto a lot of Sasuke while he gracefully got rid of the remaining clone with a hand chop to it's neck.

Izuna turned with one eyebrow raised as if to say, __is that all you got?__

With an annoyed sound she started preparing her next move while Izuna went through hand signs.

Naruto grumbled and crossed her hands in front of her, mimicking Madara on the sideline. "Fine, I guess we both were wrong. Five seconds has gone by and it looks like I will have to move to beat some sense into you." Naruto shouted while Izuna got to his last sign.

"Katon: Searing migraine!" The Uchiha shouted and shot fire towards the ground. At first it didn't look all that impressive. The fire looked like something Naruto could have avoided by running quickly through it if it had been aimed at her. Once it hit the ground however, it spread like there had been oil littered across the training ground in a roaring inferno.

Naruto jumped high up in the air and held her left hand around the wrist of the other. She was focusing on the movements of chakra in the palm of her hand as she started going downwards again, picturing the flow and the seal as she landed softly in the only area still not being licked by flames. "Fuinjutsu: Katon absorption palm!" She said and hit her hand hard to the ground.

The seal expanded in waves outwards and drained the fire jutsu into itself while she took Izuna's confusion to her own advantage, and rushed towards him at top speed. He blocked her kunai with his chokutō but had no time to stop her left palm smacking him in the face as she cried; "Pressure intensifier, Seal!"

Izuna jumped backwards, but that was as far as he managed to go. Next moment his body felt like solid rock, and he collapsed on the burned ground as if a boulder had collapsed over him.

"Wha-" He gasped as he realised he could barely breathe any more. His legs caved in and he was forced heavily downwards.

The last of the fire in the corners of the training ground disappeared and Naruto was standing at a safe distance with a smug smile.

"You sure got good, Izuna! But it will take a little more time before you can land a proper hit on me, dattebayo." She gloated while bouncing from foot to foot.

"What… did you…?" He said through clenched teeth.

"What is that seal?" Asked Madara curiously.

Realising what the surging feeling to his chin had been when she'd slapped him, Izuna swore, or at least he tried his best to. It sounded more like moaning from the pressure which inhibited him from forming words.

"It is a gravity seal. Izuna feels a lot heavier now. Don't talk Izuna, you could damage something if you try and fight it. Just wait a second and I'll release you."

She walked over to the young man lying flat and helpless and put her hand to his cheek. "Release."

It was at this point Naruto noticed the spectators around the field. A few of them looked put out while others looked impressed. Madara seemed indifferent but stepped forwards as Izuna started breathing easier while staggering up on his knees.

"My turn."

He was standing with his left hand resting on the shaft of his gunbai Ushiwa and his right around a kama. The weapons were connected together by a long chain which rested on the ground.

For a moment that __thing__ was all she really noticed.

The gunbai reminded her of a very brutal battle during the fourth war. Naruto wasn't sure it was the exact same one as Obito and Uchiha Madara had used to repel and return her own attacks against her, but it sure looked very much alike.

"Sure."

Naruto looked challenging back at him but felt far from as confident as she'd been with Izuna.

"Let's see how you've grown." She added and jumped back to her side of the field again while the still panting Izuna halted back to the sidelines. Seemingly still in pain from the seal.

"Keep in mind Naruto, that we're still in my village. Nothing too damaging if you please." Said Madara while putting one hand on his hip and lifted up the gunbai over his shoulder. The chain connected to the end of the shaft clinked against one another as he contemplated her. When his head tilted downwards his spiky chin length bangs fell over half of his face.

He looked almost like she remembered him now.

Only the red armor was lacking. Instead he was wearing a long, dark hippari with a wide collar and the Uchiha emblem on the back.

No one was giving the signal this time. Both stayed tense, waiting for the other's reaction.

Madara leaned backwards, and then charged.

Naruto didn't move. She stood with her legs spread evenly as he came at her with his kama. The sound of metal on metal echoed through the grounds as she met the sickle with her kunai far down on the hilt, almost as close to were his hand was gripping it.

A struggle of strength occurred, but Naruto, while not as strong physically as the Uchiha, had the kunai so far down that Madara couldn't use the momentum to his advantage. Instead he swung the gunbai in his left hand at her, and she had to fall back not to get blown over.

It would be difficult with a close range battle, and she'd known that from the start.

Madara threw the kama towards her and Naruto dodged again, before he retreated it by the chain while Naruto went through hand signs and inhaled deeply.

"Fūton: Vacuum sphere!" She shouted, and the wind chakra gathered in her mouth shot towards Madara. He retreated while he attempted to block her attack using the gunbai as a shield. But he was still thrown backwards hard, and crashed into a few of the onlookers.

He got up again with one eyebrow raised while dusting off his shoulder. It was so eerily familiar that Naruto had to swallow.

In unison they ran at each other, clashing in the middle with a loud smacking sounds of fists and metal.

* * *

Izuna was surprised by how intensely they where fighting.

Madara could actually kill the young woman if he wasn't a little more gentle with his kama. But in that moment Naruto managed to kick his brothers wrist, forcing his hand to loose the blade which clang as it hit the ground.

Both charging yet again and apparently forgetting that they both still had weapons, a taijutsu fight started up. Many of the Uchihas was cheering for their leader while Izuna remained quiet.

He watched as they danced, because it couldn't be called anything else. His brother had the Sharingen reading her every movement but hadn't let his Mangekyō activate. The spectators started shouting even louder.

"You can do it boss!"

"Go Madara-sama!"

"End her!" Shouted Katsu who'd been one of the guards dragging her in earlier.

But the younger Uchiha brother was now smiling.

For all his annoyance at losing to the blonde, he couldn't feel too bad anymore. Even his big bro seemed to be struggling to get a hit in. His older brother. The strongest Uchiha he had ever seen.

They suddenly launched backwards, Naruto stumbling, while Madara landed gracefully. He took his opportunity and at full speed he was above her, in his hand was one of Naruto's own kunais which swung towards her head.

Izuna was about to shout at him to stop, he would cut her neck in half if he didn't.

Half an inch away from her throat the blade came to an abrupt stop. The blond staring frozen up at the spiky haired young man who had her at his mercy.

* * *

Naruto looked up into Madara's face as she realised he'd won. She'd just lost for the very first time against her friend in this time line.

He removed the kunai from her neck and extended his hand. She took it and was helped up to her feet.

"That was fun, dattebayo! Man, you've gotten better, Madara. I knew you would be tough but I never thought you'd actually win." Naruto rattled while he let go of her hand and smiled. It was a rare sight for the onlooking Uchiha to see their leader looking so cheery.

"It sure was, Naruto. We have to do a proper match one day with less restrictions. I know you have more up your sleeve. A lot more. But then again, so do I." He said and lead her over to Izuna on the sidelines.

"Impressive, Naruto. To get that close to beating big bro. I spoke hastily earlier, didn't I?" Izuna said sheepishly. Naruto nodded and looked back up at Madara.

"Now to that barrier. Should we get to it right away? I'll have to come back every other month to renew it, but it should be more trouble than the Senjus could break through." She said and looked around.

"People also has to be approved by the seal. If I cast it, and everyone you want to get freely through is inside the village, then they will get approved at the same time. The problem are those who're outside the village. They will have to be approved individually later. I have some seals you could activate yourself. It's basically just my signature, since I'm the caster it's my signature the barrier wants. I can leave them with you when I'm done so you to give them to the Uchihas still outside."

"That sounds good to me. I'll sleep better if I knew the village couldn't get infiltrated at night. It would give us all a long needed break." Madara said and started showing her the boarders he wanted included.

"You look like you need it Madara." Said Naruto teasingly but clearly meant it. The rings underneath his eyes was contrasting his pale soft skin. She wondered how long it was since he got a whole night's sleep.

* * *

After the fight was over there was a round of applause for Madara while Naruto rolled her eyes. Izuna led them in for a quick bite to eat before they set to work. Soon Izuna found himself trailing the duo together with Katsu, listening to their light bickering while they found out where the barrier should go.

While still annoyed at her naivety and lack of understanding of the war, Izuna quite liked Naruto. His brother - who hadn't mentioned the girl's name once of own fee will in six years - seemed to have truly missed her.

Maybe his reluctance had been the sign Izuna had missed. As Izuna listened to Madara insulting Naruto's wardrobe he thought his brother looked more carefree then he'd been in the last two years since he took over the leadership of their military forces.

He only acted this relaxed in private when it was just the two brothers, but now Madara was like that for everyone to see. It seemed to do good for everyone's moral to see him so much lighter. It calmed their worried minds - Izuna's included.

One thing Izuna could read plain as day as he watched the two workers, was that his brother was smitten with her in his own awkward way.

Izuna couldn't give a damn if she wasn't an Uchiha and it wouldn't be appropriate. Anyone with fighting skills like hers was more then worthy for someone like his older brother who deserved only the best. But most of all he liked the idea since he suspected it would make the Senju furious.

Coming back into the village it seemed the events on the training ground had spread like wildfire. Everyone was out on the street and giving them a lot of attention.

When they came to the area where the sealing would take place Madara helped her find the best spot to work from. Naruto needed to be as centred according to the boarders as she could get to create the boarder. The village wasn't a perfect circle, but oval enough for her to envision how the borders would be placed, and needed as much symmetry she could get.

Naruto sat down and started working, but didn't take up the seal again. She just started going through hand seals, biting her thumb and started drawing on the ground with her own blood.

Izuna watched in fascination as the girl worked. On Madara's orders no one was allowed activating their Sharingan, as had been part of the deal. Izuna wondered why the girl took Madara's word without a second thought. He also wondered why on earth Madara seemed to take it for granted that Naruto wouldn't let the Senju in by giving them that signature she talked about earlier as well.

Naruto seemed to trust him completely whenever he gave a promise, and Madara didn't fail the trust. As she worked Madara stood a little behind her while keeping watch that no one broke their agreement. Izuna guessed Naruto would be needed later to recharge the barrier, and that she wouldn't if they started copying her abilities.

After ten minutes of constant hand signs, drawing in the dirt and many alarming spikes of chakra burst coming from the blonde, she clapped her hands together. Very similar to the way Senju Hashirama did when he used wood release.

"Seal!" She shouted, and at once it was like she was being dragged in many directions at once.

Madara stepped forwards while everyone else stepped back. Her chakra was visible in the air around her, going vertical and horizontally out from her chest and then in spirals. It looked slightly like a very violent chakra extraction.

Like something was drawing out her life force where she sat.

"Naruto." Said Madara alarmed, getting as close as he dared.

The girl didn't answer and gave no indication she heard him from her positing inside the chakra maelstrom.

Then it went deadly quiet, and everyone looked up to see a dome had appeared around them. First it was littered with black kanji all around, then slowly it faded and became completely transparent.

Turning back to Naruto to exclaim his happiness with everyone else, it was just for Izuna to freeze with worry. No words escaping him because of the scene in front of him. Naruto choked, her eyes rolled backwards in their sockets and limply she fell sideways unconscious. His brother running forwards to catch her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> I have to admit I struggled badly with Izuna and Naruto's spar. I rewrote the whole thing several times and I'm still not sure if it works…
> 
> Please forgive any grammar mistakes, I try to avoid them, I truly do.
> 
> The weapons Madara was using:
> 
> Kama – a type of sickle.
> 
> Gunbai Ushiwa – A large, guitar formed non folding fan. Obito and Madara uses it in the manga.


	12. Whistleblower

**Chapter** **eleven** **–** **W** **histleblower**

_A whistleblower is a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, dishonest, or not correct._ _Whistleblowers also face stiff reprisal/retaliation from those who are accused or alleged of wrongdoing._

* * *

_Naruto was screaming her lungs dry. Rocketing downwards into an abyss with no control of her body, while flipping as she fell. But through her panic she registered there was absolutely no wind._

_"You have to fix this…" Said a voice all around her, it was deep and ringing in her ears. But right now she couldn't deal with the voice, she had more than enough with herself._

_She screamed, Naruto didn't like the feeling at all. She couldn't see the ground, nor the top of where she had fallen from._

_Where was she? How did she end up here? Where was everyone?_

_"Help me!" She shouted, but no one came to her rescue._

_"Naruto… You have to fix this." Said the voice again, and this time Naruto thought it was coming from somewhere below her._

_"No! You have to fix this! I'm falling!" She cried as she felt her head start getting dragged downwards._

_"I can't do that I'm afraid, I'm the one who pushed you. Now it's up to you to save yourself."_

_Naruto didn't understand what that meant at all, but as she tried desperately to find a way to stop this endless drop and was surprised when she felt herself slow down. As if her thoughts was enough to stop gravity from causing harm._

_She was almost still now, and tried to sit up only to realise she wasn't sure what was up or down anymore. At first it felt like she'd been falling with her head first, but now she realised that up and down didn't matter in this place. One angle felt as right as the next one._

_"Where am I?" She asked the voice while she looked wildly around. What was this place?_

_"Your mindscape."_

_She stuttered, this didn't look anything close to her mindscape._

_"You are dying Naruto. So your mindscape took on another appearance for the time being. It is a deeper level than the one you share with Kurama. So now I finally get to talk to you again Naruto, I had hoped to do that sooner then this though." Said the voice. This time she thought she heard something familiar about it._

_"What… No..." She muttered and stopped searching._

_It finally registered. Why the voice was so familiar, it couldn't possibly be....?_

_"Hagoromo?" She whispered, the silence that followed wasn't long but spoke volumes of sadness without a word being said._

_"Yes, you are finally weak enough for me to talk to you again. You just fell unconscious in the living realm after doing that fuinjutsu barrier. I think you are still falling. For the moment your heart has stopped beating, but I am sure Kurama is working hard to save you. So I would not be too worried. This isn't like the last two times." Hagoromo explained, even though Naruto had no idea where he was._

_"Two times? What do you mean? I just saw you once dattebayo, and where the hell are you?" Naruto growled and twirled on the spot._

_" Unfortunately I can never take form again. What I did to you was very difficult. Much harder than anything I have done before."_

_"Did… You.. You did that. You sent me back?" Naruto whispered and looked horrified and clenched her fist so not to start screaming at him._

_The voice took a break before talking again. "I had to, you were going to die, Naruto, and without you the others died soon after. It was the end of the world and in my desperation I sent my yang chakra back in time. Since I had already given that to you, it meant you would go along with it. I am simplifying matters of course, but the end result is the same." Hagoromo's voice said gravely._

_Naruto tried to take in what he'd said. He was the one who'd sent her back so far into the past. The one who separated her from her friends. Naruto wouldn't have minded dying, but she would have minded her friends dying too over her short comings._

_"Why just me? Why not Sasuke too? He had your yin power!" She shouted, getting more and more frustrated._

_"He would not have survived it. You have inherited the strength and vitality from Ashura, you also have Kurama to help you. It was risky just sending you here, I was not sure if you would survive. We talked about this before, but it was very short and I see you no longer remember it. But trust me when I tell you that it truly was the only option, and that when we talked the last time, going back in time was your own decision."_

_Naruto couldn't remember seeing or hearing from the ancient dude since the last time she was dying after Kurama was extracted from her by Uchiha Madara. And more disturbing was that she couldn't remember wanting to go back in time, which according to the ringing voice was_ her own wish.

_"And you want me to fix things?" Naruto asked, crossing her arms in front of her as she looked pointedly straight forwards. It was odd talking to a voice without a body._

_"I do. You have already started, I know that much. You have to find Black Zetsu and seal him off before he can do anymore damage. I am still weak, but my powers are slowly coming back to me. I don't know if I will be able to help you again Naruto. Hopefully you will remember this encounter and understand better the situation you now live in. Black Zetsu needs to be finished for good. My mother must never be released again."_

_"I know that, dattebayo! It's what I've been working towards for the last twelve years!" She shouted, now angry even though she couldn't understand exactly why. It was like he was trying to make her understand some subtext she couldn't get. Naruto had never been good at that stuff..._

_"Black Zetsu is in the Fire Country now. He can feel you Naruto, he is confused and weary of your presence. Do your best."_

_"Of course I'm doing my best. I need to save my friends!" She shouted, but was met by a long silence this time._

_"You have already altered time greatly. Things that was will never come to be now."_

_Naruto inhaled and exhaled deeply before she talked again. "But… Hiruzen… the sandaime. He was born… I saw him myself… I hoped..." She muttered, and felt dread rise up in her. Was this what he'd been trying to hint at?_

_"Sarutobi Hiruzen is a member of a clan you barely interacted with. Their path never altered much because you stayed away for long enough. But others might not be so lucky. It would be a miracle now if for example Senju Tsunade was to be born, or even Sasuke."_

_Naruto felt herself start to hyperventilate. She'd though that fleetingly, but had hoped... Wanted to believe, that time didn't work like that. Hoped it was a thing that worked itself out. That the people who were born would always come to be._

_"There is still a chance Naruto, they were born once and might do so again. I have never altered time before but now that I have done so, I see that some things are just impossible to alter. However, you have to keep strong Naruto. In the other time line you were all dying. This is your chance to save those who can be saved."_

_Naruto burrowed her face in her hands and shook all over. She couldn't cry, she had to stay strong. For those who might yet be saved…._

_"I can't seal him… I can't find anything permanent enough… Except the death ripper seal. I'll do it if I get the chance but he is so slippery. You have to help me… Couldn't you get Sasuke?" She asked weakly. Naruto already heard why he wasn't here, but she couldn't stop the question bursting from her lips._

_"I am afraid not Naruto, Sasuke is already dead to you. This is a task given to you, and I believe you will find a way to seal him up for good."_

_Naruto looked up from her hands with wet eyes, but managed to hold the tears inn. "I'll never see them again will I?"_

_"None of us know that yet, they might still be born. But the people you knew will live other lives now, become different people according to how their life play out. The ones you love is currently with me in the realms of souls. Except Hiruzen of course, he is back with you on your side." His voice said with some warmth in them._

_Naruto felt herself start to evaporate and looked at her hands. They were turning transparent._

_"It is time for you to leave Naruto, your heart has started beating again. Do your best, and good luck."_

* * *

Feeling a headache like she rarely had experienced in her life Naruto groaned and opened her eyes. She wasn't sure at first if she had, since everything was still pitch black.

"What happened?" She asked aloud to what she assumed was the empty room. That was before she felt a presence close by, Madara's presence.

"After you put up the barrier you fainted, at least that what it looked like. You've been out for a while." He explained. "It's late Naruto, I brought you here to rest. You're welcome to stay as long as you wish to show our gratitude for what you did today." Muttered Madara in his low voice.

Naruto still couldn't help the shiver that went up her spine when she only heard that voice. The blonde couldn't yet attach it to her Madara, the good Madara. It also felt like there was something looming right underneath her foggy mind, as if there was something she'd forgotten.

"Oh… It worked then?" She asked pleased and sat up.

"Yes, everyone can get out, but only those who was inside when you put up the barrier could get in again. We had some very confused men outside the village when they returned to home this evening." Madara explained and suddenly she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Naruto. I know you must have done this for Hashirama too and that's the reason you did it for us as well, but it still eases my mind." He said softly.

"I knew it would, dattebayo." She said and grinned in his direction. It was impossible to see him in the pitch black room, and her head still felt heavy.

"What's the time? And can we get some light in here? I can't see my own hand in this darkness." She asked, waving her invisible hand in front of her face.

Naruto heard him get up, and faintly saw red eyes activating in the blackness. So that's how he moved about, she should have guessed.

"It's around two in the morning." Answered Madara as he lit a few candles on a table in the corner. Looking at him she noticed he wasn't wearing the same as earlier. He was clad only in black pants and an equally dark turtle neck sweater where he'd pushed up the arms.

He smiled down at her. Looking so much like she remembered him as a kid she grinned heartedly in return.

Madara sat down next to her mattress without deactivating his Sharingan. "Where have you been? Since when were you a fuinjutsu master?" He asked her quietly, never taking his red eyes away from her blue ones.

"I'm not a fuinjutsu master, but I'm good with seals. I've been a little everywhere in the last years. Wandering and gathering news. Doing small good deeds whenever I could. I saved a family from ninjas who was trying to rob them you know. I have explored the Lightning Country and crossed the waters, all the while trying to gain some insight into how people can resolve conflicts peacefully, dattebayo." She said and looked pointedly at him.

"And now you've returned for me and Hashirama." He concluded.

Naruto shook her head sideways. "I came back for Konoha."

Finally his eyes released her, turning to the left while he looked disturbed for the first time. "Konoha… It… I don't think that's possible any more. Might never have been in the first place. We've taken different paths. Too much death and violence. I can't see us working out an alliance."

"I can."

"I've said this before Naruto… How could you possibly know? I don't see you trying to make friends with the ones who killed your parents. Destroyed your village. Made you a fugitive and forever a wanderer across the five nations." He said annoyed, not unkindly, but trying to make her understand.

"You don't?" She asked silently. Looking at him intently with fierce eyes. Madara paused, wondering what the words had meant.

"My village used to be where your new prison is located… Or I guess it's a few years old by now." She said with one eyebrow raised and a sarcastic crooked smile while she watched his reaction. It was a lie in one way and true in another, she was trying to fit Konoha in Itanika village's place.

They had similar fates after all.

Madara actually choked on his own tongue in surprise. He looked at her with calculating eyes as his Sharingan turned to the Mangekyō. Naruto stared back unblinking, but a shudder ran down her spine at the red and black design. It was the eyes of some of her worst imaginations.

"You… We… We were desperate, we didn't mean-" He started but Naruto held her hand up to stop him.

"I know. I know you were starving. I understand why it happened, I already know all that. But do you understand why I can ask such an impossible question now? Do you understand why I can feel and understand your pain?"

He didn't answer, but still looked dubious.

"Do you know how my parents died, Madara?" She asked quietly. He shook his head while Naruto knew perfectly well that he didn't know.

"They didn't die during the attack. They died somewhere else, some other village that disappeared just like Itanika. My mother was just about to give birth to me and my father took her outside the village when she was due. She had barely held me for the first time before they were attacked. That was an Uchiha too, you know. I've since heard that the man held me hostage while threatening my parents. I was not even half an hour old, Madara. They were both killed by the aftermath of that attack. My dad managed to bring me back to the village, and I'm not sure how I ended up in Itanika, but believe me. __I know__ how difficult it is to forgive. I recognised you as an Uchiha almost immediately. But you weren't like him. You were just like me and at the same time not at all. But you were kind, and stubborn, and arrogant and most importantly we had the same dream." Naruto took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down while she explained her past to Madara.

"I still want to help the Uchiha and the Senju. There will never be lasting peace through domination and violence. You have to accept the alliance Madara. Please." She said urgently.

Madara's Mangekyō swirled as she talked. Not detecting a single lie in her words, not that he had suspected her to lie though. He felt conflicting emotions rushing through him. Horror, at the idea of his clansmen's action. Holding an infant hostage…

Naruto being chased out of her home in Itanika. It was odd to realise they must have been neighbours as kids. Maybe he'd even seen her on one of his visits to the village with his mother.

Then he saw all the horrors of his life. His mum and brothers, his father, the Senju… But through it all he also felt warm. Listening to Naruto was the warmest he could ever get. Her presence comfortable and unstrained. Pure. Something nothing else seemed these days.

"It's not just my decision, Naruto. An alliance would have to be wanted from the majority of the clan. No one wants it, too many has been lost during the war."

"But if you started trying. If you actually attempted to explain why it would be good move." She argued, leaning towards him.

_Did he have no affect on her at all? Did she not know she was making his head spin by being this close to him?_

"I still don't think-"

"It doesn't matter what you think, it's the will to never give up. The will to endure. You're the head of a clan of fire Madara, now prove you have the will of fire, dattebayo." She said passionately.

He averted his eyes.

Madara didn't know exactly what the will of fire was, but it sounded fitting. Fire nation, the will to endure. Making impossible choices. A better future. A flickering flame of hope.

"You're distracting me. I can't think properly, Naruto." He said getting to his feet. He felt it again now. That dream rising to the back of his mind. Protecting Izuna… Becoming Hashirama's friend again, and Naruto… Naruto and him.

Naruto was confused, not sure how she was distracting him, but allowing him to walk away without continuing her speech.

Madara paced back and fourth on the floor in front of her with a hand covering his mouth as he thought.

"I'll try… But I won't betray my clan, the people I protect. Naruto-" He halted, seemingly not entirely sure how to continue.

"Why do you care so much?"

"...I'm not sure… All I know is… When you two are hurting, I hurt too." She said smiling sadly up at him.

It had been the same with Sasuke.

"Do you love him?" Madara asked before he could stop himself.

For a moment Naruto thought he'd meant Sasuke, but then realised who he must be referring to.

"Who, Hashirama?" Asked Naruto, her voice going up an octave as she looked at Madara's controlled and curious face, he waited for her to continue. "Well yes, he's one of my precious people." She answered a little confused at the abrupt change of subject.

Madara sighed and clarified. "I mean… Are you __in__ love with him?"

Naruto stared dumbfounded back at him. Where the hell did he get that idea from? When had she ever acted like she was in love with Hashirama? She remembered how the girls back at home acted whenever they declared their undying love for Sasuke, and shuddered.

No, she had not acted anything near to it.

"What on earth makes you think that? Hashirama is as dear to me as a brother." Or spirit brother, same soul. It might sound romantic, but in her and Hashirama's case they actually contained the same soul.

How that was possible she nor Kurama understood. But neither did they understand how two Kurama's could exist either, or how on earth she'd ended up in the past. Not to mention that reincarnation was as far fetched to Naruto as being in two places at the same time. Which when she thought a bit about it, was something she did almost everyday when she used the shadow clones.

"I see..." Madara answered and continued his pacing.

"Why did you-?" Naruto started but trailed off. Something in the back of her mind went off like an alarm bell.

Why was he asking something like that? Why would he care? Madara couldn't be… jealous? There was no way… She was being stupid.

Naruto got to her feet while he continued walking, not sure if she should change the topic or not.

Deciding he needed to stop this endless pace she stepped forwards to block him. It was pointless walking around the problem, she would demand him to tell what was on his mind. She had always preferred to talk straight out. Naruto would never be any good with mind games or trying to guess what others were plotting while expressing something else.

Before she could do more then take a step however, Madara suddenly halted in front of her. His black eyes intense as he read her blue ones in the dim light. " _I_ love you." He said so abruptly and matter of factly, he sounded like he was commenting on his latest purchase of kunai polish.

Naruto didn't have time to ponder the claim before he came closer, her eyes still staring into his as she felt his mouth on her own.

He kissed her.

It was soft but with no hesitation. A quick kiss which was over before she comprehended exactly what had happened.

He didn't move away however, just tilted his head back to look at her closely.

Naruto couldn't speak, it was like her mind was having an utter meltdown while attempting to understand this unexpected turn of event.

For a few seconds they just looked at each other. Madara's face more unreadable then ever as his hand rose up to her hair, twisting some of the spiky strands around his finger while he studied it. Naruto fleetingly wondered why he found her hair so interesting, but then he leaned in again.

This time it wasn't gentle. It was a passionate and fiery kiss that made her head spin as she realised it felt good. Really good.

She'd never thought kissing could feel like that, the only one she'd ever lip locked whit had been Sasuke, and that had been pure accident and a memory she still wanted erased from her mind. The memory of her no longer existing team mate drifted out of her mind as her eyes closed in unison with Madara's.

His hand was in her hair, combing through it before resting at the back of her head while the other hand sneaked around her waist, pressing her closer.

Naruto wasn't sure how it happened, but her own traitorous hands found their way around his shoulders. His hot mouth hungrily met her own as she felt his tongue enter her mouth.

Her head rapidly spinning out of focus, Naruto felt a warm fluttering sensation in her stomach when she felt Madara's rough hand stroke up and down her waist. The hand at the back of her head was clutching at her hair, tugging it slightly as he made her neck tilt backwards to gain better access.

Both were breathing loudly through their noses, and a shudder went up Madara as he pushed her back against the wall, his searching hand sliding down to her neck. Never releasing her from his clutches as he continued his hungry assault on her bruising lips.

Slowly their lips parted again, their faces was still only a breath apart from one another as their eyes opened.

With dawning realisation Naruto got her senses back. Blushing like Hinata, Naruto stuttered. "W-what.. You kissed me?" She seemed genuinely surprised at her own words, and whatever mood had been between them broke. Madara didn't answer her question, instead he let his hand trail down to her hand and squeezed it.

"Stay here. You can stay here, Naruto. You wouldn't have to wander the lands any more. It makes sense. I care deeply for you and I have since we were children. I'm not one to run around in circles, you came back but I suspect you're planning on leaving again, there's no need for that. Stay."

The last word was like a command as it rang through the room. Naruto in the meanwhile was having a heated argument with herself, and partly Kurama, whenever he got a word in.

__'_ I kissed Madara! I kissed fucking Uchiha Madara! What the hell? Since when have I thought of kissing him? But it isn't him, not yet. Wasn't this sort of what I was aiming for? Not the kissing part but the changing Madara to become less of a mad man? Boys having crushes on girls wasn't unusual right? At least it's healthier than plotting the end of the world.'_

_'You incomprehensible, moronic, fucking air headed Uzumaki! What the hell got into you!?'_

_'I kissed Madara?'_

_'Yes, I noticed. Now get the hell out of here!'_

_'What? I can't just… leave…'_

_'Fix this!'_

_'How?'_

_'…'_

Looking down from his ink dark eyes she studied his neck instead, noticing how quick his pulse was. How easy it would be to kill him in that instance. How easy it would be for him to kill her as well.

To trust someone to be this near you, where that one move with the wrong intention was the last thing you might experience.

She rapidly grew mad at herself for allowing this to happen. People where right, she was too naive, too trusting.

She took back her hand from within his grasp.

"No. I won't stay. Madara, this wasn't smart of us. You're in a war against one of my closest friends, a war that needs to end. Staying here would make things worse. I'll continue keeping the shield up, but us… That can't… I'm not good for anyone, I shouldn't even be here, shouldn't exist-"

Naruto bit her tongue at her last word. The hand still on her waist gripped tightly before Madara stepped away. His face becoming emotionless once again. Naruto could still tell he was affected though.

"Well, it's not like I was expecting you to feel the same." He said vaguely.

Neither was looking at each other, both still and unmoving as the tension between them rose again. Never having been god with heavy atmospheres like this, Naruto started babbling.

"Anyway, it's not like it matters is there? I mean, I'm not getting hitched with anyone, dattebayo." Said Naruto and chuckled uneasily to ease the tension before she noticed the odd look on Madara's face.

"You know, I have enough with dealing with myself as it is, I'm not really girlfriend material yah' know. My friend Sakura-chan always said- You know what?! Forget I said anything okay? I'm really sleepy again, dattebayo. I think I need to sleep a little longer. Sleep is good. All right if I stay here until morning?" She said and plopped down on the mattress while getting underneath her blanket again.

Madara wasn't sure how to deal with her sudden cheery rambling. Gazing searchingly at the now flustered girl hurrying underneath her covers the young Uchiha shrugged.

"Sure, see you in the morning Naruto." Madara answered and blew out the candle before he headed for the door.

Laying down properly she heard as his footsteps halted for a moment by the door. Heart beating harder than was strictly allowed for someone as stationary as Naruto was, she held her breath as he took a step back towards her.

_'Don't say anything, don't come back…'_

Then he left the room, and closed the door silently behind him.

* * *

Madara stood outside the door of her room. Not sure if he should let Naruto sleep in any further or actually go in and wake her up. Naruto had once mentioned she liked to wake early, but that was years ago. He had liked to sleep in once, now he barely slept at all.

Things changed, she might not appreciate being woken up, she might change her mind and stay, maybe she would if he made breakfast? She usually devoured anything like a hungry lion when they'd been young. Maybe the smell would wake her? He'd never made a meal before but it couldn't be that hard, right?

Or maybe he was acting like a love struck idiot.

"Why are you just standing there?" Asked Izuna from the entrance door.

"Ah!" Madara exclaimed and wheeled around.

For a moment Izuna wasn't sure what to say. He'd never, _ever,_ in his life, sneaked up on his brother.

By Kami he had it bad….

"I don't think she's in there, big bro." He said and rolled his eyes.

"What, no, I mean... She isn't? Where did she go then?"

Izuna laughed and patted his shoulder. "Sorry big bro, but she left early. Said she had a lot to do and things to see. Something along those lines. I got the impression she was trying to sneak out before anyone noticed her. Any idea why that might have been?" Taunted Izuna to the now grumpy looking Uchiha.

"None of your concern, brother." He answered and left out through the entrance door.

"I'm just asking, since she seemed a little off. Almost flustered, you know?" Izuna taunted as he followed out after him, pushing his advantage. It was hilarious that his brother, the mighty Uchiha warrior who never let his guard down or his emotion show, seemed out of his depths with something as simple as a girl.

"Drop it, Izuna." Madara ordered in reply.

"No way! Do share, big bro. I want to know why you're so evasive." He snickered and Madara whirled on his feet. Izuna was struck by the expression on his face.

"Nothing! I just found out the Uchiha were the ones who killed off her village, family and friends. She still helps protecting us though, and I was stupid enough to… It makes me wonder if we can't..." He trailed off and turned around again.

Izuna stared at Madara for a long moment, the words finally restringing slowly.

The Uchiha killed her family? He had not seen that one coming. And she'd still helped them, at least that's what they presumed as long as she didn't give out the entrance to the Senju.

Madara had said he wondered something… What? If they could forgive like she seemingly had?

No, Izuna couldn't let him think like that, he couldn't allow for the blonde to manipulate his brother through guilt.

* * *

Naruto walked up to the gates of the Senju village, which was visibly less guarded then at her arrival. She was dreading the welcome reception she'd receive on the inside. It would probably make the one she received at the Uchiha village seem like a fluffy tea party.

"NAMIKAZE NARUTO!" Came the howling voice of Mito as she saw the blonde come through the front door of the gust house. She was even more off the hooks than during the unexpected birth of Hiruzen in the woods. Naruto had never seen Mito so angry or loud in all the time they'd known each other.

Naruto spotted Kurou, Tobirama and Hashirama in the main lounge but the view was obscured by the towering furious red head.

"Have you lost your mind? Have you gone insane? THIEVING from me?! I wasn't sure if I wanted you dead for that trick or not! You could have died! You just protected the Uchiha! What the hell is wrong with you?! How could you do this after my grandfather specifically did not get involved because he didn't want to deal with the Uchiha? Didn't want to get caught in this mess?" She growled while hitting the girl hard repeatedly in the shoulder.

Naruto didn't resist and let Mito take out her anger on her. Naruto felt she truly deserved it after the mess she left in the Uchiha village.

"You did something very stupid, Naruto-san." Said Tobirama with his arms folded in front of him, while Kurou looked disappointed but luckily didn't voice it.

When Naruto's shoulder had turned yellow, Mito calmed down. Naruto was just appreciating that Mito didn't pack the same force in her hits as Sakura had done.

"Explain yourself, Namikaze!"

"It's only right. There's civilians in both villages. I didn't come back here so you could win the war, I came back to try and prevent more people from dying. The Senju getting super protection while they didn't was unfair. And I never let them copy it. I made Madara promise to keep everyone's Sharingan deactivated while I did the sealing. He never found out the Uzumaki had anything to do with it. Your name or home never came up, dattebayo!" She hissed as she touched her tender shoulder.

"It still gets us back to square one. Since you are my brothers friend and I believe you don't mean us any harm, I won't actually attack you. But you just aided the Uchiha clan. I can't allow someone like that to stay here. I will demand you to be banished from this village, Namikaze Naruto." Said Tobirama sternly while Hashirama slumped unhappily in his chair.

"That's not necessary, Tobirama." Said the eldest brother, but Tobirama seemed to get even angrier from that.

"How can you say that? We're at war with those bastards! If she'd been a member of our clan she would have been executed for treason!" Exclaimed Tobirama angrily.

Naruto sighed and gave the fuinjutsu scroll back to Mito.

"No worries. I just came to give this to Mito and to say bye. I'll leave now. I'm sorry for upsetting you, I knew this would probably happen, but I still believe I did the right thing. Sick, wounded people shouldn't be killed in their sleep. It won't help achieving peace in the long run. Thank you for your hospitality though, I appreciated it." She said and turned to leave again.

Mito hurried after her, followed closely by Kurou. "Naruto! Where are you going? Come back, we'll come too." Mito said worriedly as the two Uzumakis walked fast to keep up with Naruto.

It had been such a bad day.

Naruto's mind was starting for real to remember what had happened in her mindscape with Hagoromo.

The idea that everything she was doing to help the future was also working against her, made her an emotional mess. The guilt because of what had happened with Madara ate at her mind, and now this. This was just the icing on the cake.

Even though this hadn't been unexpected, it still stung that she'd banned from the Senju village.

Naruto stopped once she was outside the gates and turned to the two red heads. "I'm sorry I deceived you. I truly am, but I would have done it again. This war… This war has gone on too long as it is. If it's ever going to end with some hope for the future, then both clans need to get through this as wholesome as possible. The Uchiha is as much to blame as the Senju. They're equal in every aspect. I believe Hashirama can get through to Madara eventually. They were once best friends and I was a friend of both of them. I still am. I will personally apologise and take my punishment as Ashina seems fit. You two stay here. As long as you stay unseen the Uchiha will continue to presume I was the one who cast the protection barrier over the Senju village."

Hashirama and Tobirama had caught up with them and heard her speech. "You're a great friend, Naruto. I'm not angry at your action. I would have applauded you if it wasn't for the circumstances." Said the village leader and looked sourly over at his younger brother.

"I understand your conviction, Naruto-san. But we can't allow you to stay here any longer, we have rules." Added Tobirama without heeding his brother in the slightest.

"Where will you go?" Asked Kurou, worried as he looked at the blonde.

"I'm not leaving the country. I've been away for too long as it is. It might be best if I keep out of sight for a while though." She added with a grimace.

"What? What happened? They didn't attack you, did they?" Asked Mito looking her over for injuries, ignoring the most obvious one she'd inflicted herself.

"No." Naruto said and blushed furiously. All of them looked confused at her strange reaction.

"They weren't very welcoming at first, but I left voluntarily. Even got a friendly wave from the guy who had his blade to my throat when I arrived. I just knocked Izuna around on the training field, talked with Madara for a while, gave him Hashirama's letter of alliance. Unfortunately he was idiot enough to burn it before he actually read it, but I explained more or less the content in person. I stayed over and then I came here. I just think Madara might be a little angry with me. So it looks like I've wronged both village leaders in one go." She said and waved her hand as to say it was nothing at all to piss off two of the strongest clans in the elemental countries.

Hashirama chuckled with a sad smile and came up to her. "Whatever you did I'm sure Madara will forgive you, I already have. It's just who you are, you've never been very subtle, Naruto."

"Neither is Madara." She muttered, clenching her fists as her cheeks heated up again. None of them noticed though, since she turned at the same time.

"See you sometime, stay safe, and I think I got my point across to Madara. But as he said; this is more then just his decision. There has to be a majority of votes in favour of an alliance for the Uchiha to agree to it. While Madara might not admit it, he wants an alliance though he won't agree to one before the others are convinced." She said while looking into the darkening forest. It was already nightfall and she was starving from not eating in half a day.

She felt Hashirama's hand on her unhurt shoulder. "Thank you, Naruto. I'm sure Madara will sleep a little better with the protection you gave his people. And maybe he won't be so cranky from now on. He sure has been looking tired lately." He said and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

She smiled back at him grateful, and with a genuine; "Take care" Naruto disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Sitting in her old cave which didn't look altered from the last six years of inhabitation she leaned against the hard rocky sides.

Naruto was trying to think of a way to deal with all of this. How she was supposed to stop all this fighting and come to terms with the fact that everything she did had effects on time. Naruto knew Hashirama would get through to Madara eventually, even though she had never known how he'd done it originally. All she knew was that Izuna had plaid a big role in Madara's defection from Konoha.

She needed to stop this war before the wrong people got killed. She'd already changed the time line and it was no longer predictable.

What if Tobirama died instead, how would his brother cope with that loss? Maybe he would get so angry he would stop trying to get Madara over on the right path. And what if __Hashirama__ died? Then Konoha would never come to be.

She sighed and went into her mind scape, Kurama had been trying to talk to her for a while now.

_'I've been thinking…' Said the demon fox slowly, his tails swishing lazily back and fourth._

_'A plan? Great! Tell me! Because I'm all blank.' Naruto replied eagerly._

_'The Uchiha devil's crush on you could work in our favour.' Replied Kurama grinning wickedly. That smile always meant trouble for Naruto._

_'Eh? How on earth could you think that?' Asked Naruto with her hands on her hips, daring Kurama to say the wrong thing._

_'Seduce him. I've seen how the female talking monkeys control their mates. You get him attached, then it will be easier to convince him. Make him want Konoha, since you won't agree to be with him before the village is agreed to. Before the Senju and Uchiha is united.'_

_This wasn't great at all, and Naruto blushed red as Mito's hair at the indications Kurama was hinting at._

_'Are you crazy? Then I'd had to actually be with him! It's not like I love him. I mean, I do, but just as a friend!' She exclaimed, waving her hands around as she disagreed._

_'Are you sure? You enjoyed his advances.'_

_Naruto stuttered in denial._

_'You forget I've had two female jinchuriki's before you Naruto. In a way I guess I know more about romantic love then you do. While I always hated them, I still knew their feelings even when I couldn't see anything outside. They made their mates do heir bidding, and in exchange they loved them.' He explained._

_Naruto had the feeling Kurama didn't understand love at all._

_'What? You make love sound like an exchange of tasks. You don't get together or marry to someone because you want to ease the daily chores. You do that because you.. I don't know… Feel connected with someone more then anyone else. Trust them, care for them, can talk and confide in them!' She said getting angry._

_'If that was the case you could get married to a dog.' Said Kurama, getting grumpy._

_'Argh! You're impossible!' Growled Naruto, sounding a lot like the demon fox._

_'Think about it. You do feel all those things for the current Madara. You do trust him, since he is still reasonable, you care for him and you confided in him, earlier you almost let it slip that you shouldn't be in this time line. Isn't that the criteria you explained was needed to pick a human mate?' Said the fox seriously._

_'He is dangerous Naruto. You've gotten emotionally involved enough now that you'll have problems killing him, just like the other Uchiha brat. But unlike the other bastard, this one is still somewhat sane.' He said annoyed and lay down with his head on his paws._

_'For now.' He added as an afterthought._ _'But if he tilts over you will have to kill him.' Warned the fox while his eyelids drooped._

_Naruto gaped a him before leaving the mind scape._

Getting back to the world of the mortals Naruto grumbled to herself. Angry at Kurama's stupid suggestion. She soon got more interested in the food she was preparing as her stomach growled angrily.

As she ate she considered what she was going to do next.

Just observe? Help where she could? Convince one by one that this was not how it was supposed to stay? Fight for Konoha, for the future.

She felt a little like she was doing like Itachi by trying to solve everything on her own. Hadn't the edo tensei version of him told her, a little before she ended up here in the past, that she should never try to do it all on her own? That she would end up like Uchiha Madara if she relied only on her own power?

Trusting Madara was the riskiest thing she'd ever done. Naruto had seen what he _could_ turn into. But maybe the point was to make Madara trust in other's as well, let him see how strong you could be united, instead of divided.

He was a power hungry bastard, that hadn't changed. Proud of his skills and lethal. But so was Hashirama and Naruto. The difference was that they already knew that they needed others and Madara had to realise that as well. Or keep realising, he seemed to trust his clan at least.

In his other life he'd lost everyone he loved. He'd been shunned by the people he'd given his life and honour for. Alone with Black Zetsu for a long time, slowly going more and more inhuman like Kaguya.

She let the spoon fall down in her bowl as she thought of his last fate. She wouldn't let that happen, there was just no way she'd let him go down that path once again. Things were already set in motion, and Naruto had to attempt - stumbling and scrambling if necessary - to make sure all the pieces fell in their rightful place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Alright, some romance scenes presented to you by yours truly. My, that was harder to write then I assumed it would be… When it comes to romantic love I feel Naruto needs to get it hammered into her to take notice, and Madara would be as blunt as butter knife with his own emotions. He's never exactly seemed shy in the manga.
> 
> About Naruto's reasoning in general: Naruto have problems separating the Madara she knows from the one she hated. In this story I have a habit of calling evil Madara for 'Uchiha Madara', and the nice one for just 'Madara'. Now that he starts looking and sound more as when she first met him she struggles even more. It's also a factor that she's reluctant to unnecessarily mess up time, which basically means she isn't interested in getting in a relationship with anyone.
> 
> So Naruto is once again alone in the woods, but at least she is in the right country this time.


	13. Spider Web

**Chapter twelve – Spider web**

_A spider web is a_ _device_ _created by a_ _spider_ _out of_ _proteinaceous_ _spider silk_ _extruded from its_ _spinnerets_ _._ _Spider webs have existed for at least 100 million years_ _and is made by the spider to_ _tra_ _p insects_ _in_ _the silk_ _webs, providing nutrition to the spider; however, not all spiders build webs to catch_ _prey, but_ _to create_ _concealment for themselves._

* * *

 

It had been such a warm summer this year, everything had gotten dry and the nights suffocating in its heat. So walking over the ever stretching field north of Karonichi village Naruto enjoyed the cold breeze as it cooled her face.

It was over two weeks since she had been banned from the Senju village, and Naruto had spent it getting used to being on her own again. Th heat didn't help much, but at least it meant she wasn't cold, it was still a few more months until that would start being a problem.

On her way from the Senju village she'd walked by the creek she, Hashirama and Madara once had played at. Naruto wished to go there to reminisce and see how it was doing, remembering exactly how beautiful it had been.

Only to find it in ruins.

There was still some water running through the area, but the river had lost it's shape and it was very obvious some sort of fight had taken place there.

The sight of it had made Naruto sad and frustrated, it was their place. Or at least Hashirama and Madara's. Somewhere she'd hoped to take some comfort in from time to time.

But the destroyed and burned trees, the out of path river and the new craters to the forest clearing had been something of the most depressing things Naruto had seen since returning to the fire country.

She was walking aimlessly today, trying to investigate random places for any sight of Black Zetsu. She remembered Hagoromo telling her that the bastard was somewhere in Fire Country, and that he had sensed her. Maybe the reason he was 'weary' of her was because of the similarities between Hashirama and her.

Who knew? Naruto was only after killing that little devil.

In the distance Naruto could see a group of shinobi running towards her. They were coming from across the field from behind, and she knew they had to be shinobi because of their speed. No civilians could run like that.

They were coming straight for her, probably to check out who was intruding. Naruto wasn't sure who this land belonged to, or even if anyone did, but she had a suspicion.

This was proven correct when she saw the clan markings on their brown armours and recognised the man in the middle of the group.

"Sarutobi Sasuke!" Naruto cried and waved to him as they came close enough to hear. The whole group was coming at her at full speed now when Sarutobi waved back, finally coming to a stop in front of her and stepping out to shake her hand with a wide smile.

"Namikaze Naruto. So nice to see you again, how are you doing? Why did you come all the way back here? I thought you were staying with the Senju." He exclaimed and indicated for the others to remove their weapons pointing at her throat.

Naruto scratched the back of her head and looked uncertainly back at Sarutobi Sasuke, he looked so much like a young version of the sandaime she was having problems separating the two.

"Em… I was banned… I sort of helped the Uchiha with a barrier of their own." She said nervously, Naruto had no idea how close the two clans were, only that they at least had some sort of alliance.

Sarutobi Sasuke looked surprised and weary at her words, clearly not having heard of this before now.

"Why on earth would you do that?" He asked while some of the other ninjas in his group looked suspiciously at her. Naruto wasn't sure how to explain it, so she gave the same explanation as she'd given the Senju.

It was harder for the Sarutobi to understand of course, he had no idea how good friends they'd all been, but he didn't seem as angry as some of the others. When she finished he seemed thoughtful while he studied her face intently.

"I appreciate you telling me this Naruto. We might not be at war with the Uchiha, but we do a some business with the Senju and it's good to hear what's happening on their end. You must be a very good friend of theirs for them to let you go. There was another shinobi about ten years ago who aided the Uchiha, and he was even a member of their clan. He was executed for treason by Senju Suoma." Sasuke said and looked over at the woman next to him who nodded. She had black hair and tanned skin while she looked back at Naruto, clearly less impressed with the Senju actions then most of the others.

"Yes, it was a horrible affair for them, but a necessary action for a clan in such a position. In war you have to be prepared to do what is necessary for the greater good. I guess Senju Hashirama is softer then Souma." She said and folded her hands in front of her and leaned on he right leg. Naruto was unsure if the last remark was an insult or not.

She looked back to Sasuke who seemed to think her words had been far from a compliment, and looked hurriedly back at the blonde. "You know what Naruto? My wife is home with Hiruzen at the moment. I think she cancelled her plans to go over to a friend of hers. Do you want to come see them? I think my wife has grown quite found of you, and would be really pleased to see you again." He said while a few stirred restlessly at his words.

"Sasuke-san, is that wise? She just admitted she betrayed the Senju while staying with them." Muttered the woman and gave Naruto a dirty look from the corner of her eye.

Sasuke shook his head and smiled back at her with a reassuring smile. The same one the sandaime so often used when explaining something about the roots of their village.

"Naruto also saved my wife at the cost of abandoned her mission in Water Country because she has a good sense of right and wrong. I'm not inviting her to stay with us, just a visit. I owe her my wife and son's life. Her actions actually seems in character with everything I've heard up till now from my wife. Hashirama didn't execute her even though she betrayed them, it says a lot about how they view her and how dangerous they actually think she is. If they though her a threat to themselves they would have gotten rid of her." He said calmly to the woman who huffed and looked away.

"So what do you say? Hiruzen is already growing you know. I can't believe how much he changes even from day to day." He exclaimed and gestured with his hand as if to show how much larger he'd gotten.

Naruto smiled and nodded eagerly. It would be wonderful to see the baby version of the sandaime again.

* * *

Madara was walking a few steps behind his younger brother and Katsu. They were dangerously close to Karonichi village while they were out hunting for food. They had just enough provisions stored for the moment, but it had been a bad year for business. Madara made sure everyone went out to hunt at some point during the year to help fill up the pantry with what they couldn't get through civilian villages.

Karonichi village was a place they usually avoided because of their relationship with the Senju, it never bade good to go there since many of their men had been killed in sneak attacks. Senju soldiers patrolled this village as some of the payment for rations and for monopoly of the village's business.

"big bro, I think we might want to move a little away from the civilian village, not only are we pressing our luck with the Senju, but there seriously isn't any big game around here. I'm not wasting time on killing rabbits when we can take down larger prey." Said Izuna while looking over his shoulder to his brother.

"I agree… But it also means we'll have to find a good spot to wait them out." Muttered Madara and looked back towards the direction of their village. They'd been away for a day already, and Madara was getting restless to get back to the village.

Naruto's seal seemed to be holding up greatly so far, but he had never liked letting his people fending for themselves. You could never get too comfortable in these times.

They were about to turn left and walk sideways away from Karonichi when they all felt it. A massive amount of chakra.

"What was that?" Asked Katsu and looked towards the civilian village. Madara walked past them as the chakra faded away again. Madara himself was also a pretty decent sensor, he could feel intensity, and there was definitely something intense over by Karonichi village.

"What is i-" Started Katsu but was interrupted when a huge crash rang through the area. Whatever it was it was coming from the village and made a booming echo all the way to where they stood miles away.

"What the hell was that?" Whispered Izuna as all of them ducked on instinct. Better safe then sorry as his father had always said.

Another bang was heard, followed by smashing sounds of a screeching loudness. Madara was going through a hundred different possibilities, but still couldn't come to an obvious reason for the sounds.

Who could make such a wreckage? Because that's what it sounded like, a complete and utter smash down of Karonichi village.

* * *

Hashirama looked over at Itama who was sulking in a corner.

His youngest brother had been a bad mood ever since Naruto had been banned from the Senju village, and now his favourite shuriken had been broken while he practised. At least that was the excuse he'd given to Tobirama when he'd asked why he was acting like a whining five year old.

Hashirama had listened to a lot of his rambling in the last two weeks, and even agreed to few of his points. Itama had been furious at Hashirama for letting her leave. Especially without Itama getting to say so much as a goodbye because he'd been doing water elemental practise when the whole affair had taken place.

He meant and continued arguing that Naruto had just acted like she'd always done. To save people. And that we shouldn't have been so welcoming, and then turn our backs on her when she'd done exactly the type of thing that made her so appreciated to begin with.

Hadn't she saved Itama on the same principle? Without prejudgement she'd acted so the most people would survive, in that situation it had been to attack the Uchiha. In this instance, it was to save the Uchiha. He couldn't see what was the big betrayal, since her actions was something they should have predicted in the first place.

When had Naruto __ever__ been the one to sit and watch as people got killed?

Hashirama sighed out loud as he thought of his youngest brothers words, and Mito looked up curiously.

He avoided looking at her and continued circling the kunai he'd been fiddling for the last hour around his finger.

Mito made him uncomfortable for some reason. Not really in a bad way, not really, but he felt uneasy whenever he met her eyes, restless somehow.

He'd met Mito two times before when they were young. The last time had been a couple of years before he met Madara and Naruto, and it had been on a visit with his father to Uzu.

Hashirama couldn't remember exactly why they'd gone there, or why he'd been brought along, since his father could have been a lot quicker getting there and back again without him. But he did remember playing games with her and her siblings.

Since Mito was the only one without a twin, she had been forced to pair up with Hashirama for the games. Mito and he had been a good team, they had won every match against the other twins.

Today he couldn't remember the name or exactly how the game went, but it was some sort of ninja play. It had ended abruptly one afternoon when one of her younger sisters had suddenly activated her chakra chains and hit her older brother hard in the head when he was about to catch her. He'd ended up in the hospital for a day with a bad concussion.

It was also then he'd met master Yasu, who compared to how he'd been a few weeks ago was a completely different person. He had been quite charming and caring. Doting on the kids and helping them when Mito had pelted to him for help after her brother started bleeding.

When Hashirama had met master Yasu in Uzu this time, he'd barely recognised him, he looked to have aged twenty years instead of ten, and was so grumpy he had to study him for a few minutes before he could conclude it was the same man.

"I think I should go check on Naruto." Said Mito suddenly, interrupting Hashirama's train of thoughts.

Kurou looked up sceptically while Itama seemed to agree wholeheartedly.

Hashirama was on the fence, on one hand he understood why they wanted her back, Hashirama wanted that too. But on the other hand she'd broken the code. Tobirama had good reasons for sending her away when she was so hard to keep tabs on. Hashirama didn't believe for a second that Naruto intentionally would hurt any of them, but her actions had repercussions.

The Uchiha would be better rested now, and be more ready to fight and therefore kill his own ninjas. It was something he'd never allow, he'd fight tooth and nail to save every last person in his village. To Hashirama, they were all family. On the other hand they might be less grumpy, and hopefully more agreeable to an alliance… He could only hope.

"Are you just going to sit there and stare into the air or actually answer me Hashirama?" Asked Mito annoyed.

The Senju leader snapped to attention at the sound of his own name from the red head. "Wha-? Sorry, I was thinking, what did you say Mito?" He asked sheepishly.

The young woman rolled her eyes and repeated her words. "I said I think I'll leave and go look for her tomorrow." She said calmly, looking straight into Hashirama's gaze with those intense brown orbs. She had such dark eyes… Like dark tree bark… They had some brown in them… They were so different from Naruto's. It was odd how well the two got along, since they were so incredibly different. One the voice of reason, the other the voice of the heart.

It still surprised him that those two were related too, maybe distantly and they didn't look anything alike. But he'd heard Naruto had taken easily to fuinjutsu, and it was something the Uzumakis prided themselves on.

He'd often thought of Mito and Naruto as polar opposites. Somehow a lot like Madara and Hashirama had been, but maybe not that extreme. The two girls actually agreed from time to time on things. Something that had almost been non existent between him and the Uchiha.

"Well?" She asked exasperated, looking at him as if he had grown a second head since he yet again had failed to answer her. Hashirama felt his ears go red as he finally got his act together.

"No." Said Hashirama and Kurou in unison.

"You will be breaking the rules, sister. Grandfather specifically said-" Started Kurou but was swatted over the head by Mito who sent him a sneer to tell him what she though of his reasoning's.

"Naruto is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She is also the best hope we have of convincing Madara to agree to the alliance. I think her status as banned can actually work in our favour, since Madara will trust her more now that we can't talk as freely with her." Said Hashirama, hating the words coming out of his mouth as he spoke. It sounded manipulative.

Mito sent him a dirty glare this time. _"Favour?_ What about _her?_ Naruto doesn't do well being on her own Hashirama, she was so silent when she came to Uzu, or at least as silent as that girl can ever be. Do you have any idea how much she changes around people? Well I do. Naruto starts caring about them way too soon because she's afraid of being alone, it's like that with everyone. Her worst fear is _solitude,_ Hashirama. And I also don't like her talking to that man, they are a cursed clan. Nothing good can come out of caring for an Uchiha." She said and folded her arms and looked darkly at Kurou, daring him to contradict her.

Hashirama shifted in his seat as he contemplated her words.

Solitude…

Naruto had spent so much time alone in her life, it made sense she didn't want to be alone anymore. She'd adapted so quickly to him and Madara when they met as kids too. Maybe it was because she was so desperate for friends that she'd declared them her precious people after only two meetings… It might also explain why she dreamed of Konoha so strongly, sometimes even more then Hashirama did.

He felt a raging guilt turn his stomach as he looked back into those dark eyes of Mito. They might not be sky blue like Naruto, but they were sort of pretty in their own calm way… Like a secure clearing in the forest.

"I feel bad for Naruto, I truly do. No one wishes things were differently more then I do. Once we've solved things with the Uchiha my first priority is to get on good terms with her again. But for now there is nothing we can do, I have to prioritize my village before her, and so should you, Mito. It will get worse if we try to contact her now. Madara might find out she knows you and understand where our protection truly comes from. Then Uzu will get caught in this mess as well. Right now Naruto is protecting us all by taking the blame, and she did it of her own _free_ will. Because she wants to stop this war and make sure none of her precious people have to suffer. Please Mito, trust Naruto. Trust me. We will make things right again, we just need a little time."

* * *

"I'm so sorry Naruto! I didn't know this would happen. You're a life saver, you truly are. I can't bring Hiruzen over since little Kyo is down with the chickenpox and I can't let him get sick as well. He's so small and you know how he was born prematurely so I can't risk him getting sick. I owe you yet again. Diapers are underneath the counter, and I think some towels are in the bathroom. Feel free to make yourself at home, dear. I'll be back in a few hours, max four I swear, I just have to stay there until one of our neighbour gets home from her shift. Thank you so much Naruto, I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here." Rambled Ren so quickly Naruto had problems catching everything said.

She was having a small panic attack at the prospect of babysitting for the first time in her life. She'd never gotten these missions as a genin, probably because no one wanted 'the demon' around their children.

Naruto wasn't entirely sure how it had happened.

Ren had to go over the street and babysit someone else's child since both of the neighbouring five year old's parents had been summoned for an urgent mission. Something about going to Karonichi village to check if everything was OK. Then Sarutobi Sasuke had been asked to go as well, and before she knew it she was watching baby Hiruzen for the afternoon until some girl would come and take over for Ren in the neighbouring house and she could come back to her son.

So there Naruto sat with a baby she still had problems not calling Jiji.

As a very restless person Naruto wasn't used to sitting this still for so long. The urge to run out screaming had hit her a few times, but so far she'd held the impulse in check.

It wouldn't do her any good in the long run to abandon an infant to his own devise. She looked down at the baby resting in her lap and wondered how on earth she was supposed to entertain this thing.

"You know Jiji, I know for a fact that you're going to become a really great shinobi." Naruto said and smiled reassuringly down at the baby. Hirzuen looked curiously up at her with a toothless grin. He was sort of adorable.

"Yeah, they will call you a God of shinobi you know. Truly a great man you were. Always looking after me when I was your age." She said and stroke his hairless head.

The baby looked back at her and gaped widely. Was he hungry? But then he started waving his arms wildly, as if he was trying to row a boat without the necessary equipment. He finished the act with a sequel of joy.

So maybe he wasn't hungry... Naruto had no idea how to speak baby, and what could she do if he was hungry anyway? Ren was next door, and she'd told her very sternly never to leave the baby out of her sight or take him over.

"I'm having real issues here Jiji. I can't get my friends to cooperate at all." She started saying, deciding she needed to unload some of her crap on her old mentor since she had this opportunity.

"Hashirama is good, kind and always helpful, but I think he's out of his depths right now. So I have to help him getting through to Madara, dattebayo. That is my other friend, he recently grew taller then me, which I don't really like, and have even wilder hair then I do. He's a little confused right now, I also think he might have hit his head at some point, since he somehow got it into his head that he loves me. Which I think is absurd of course. Mentally I'm like… twelve years older. And physically he should be like… I don't know, I was never good at maths, but he should be decades older then me. I know that might sound confusing Jiji, but truth is it's really messed up." She rambled, feeling better to have such a captivated and energetic audience. It also was comforting to know he wouldn't understand a thing she said.

"They are at war with each other, and I keep trying to get them to sort things out. But Madara won't listen to me. He is sooo stubborn, dattebayo. You know, I feel like Sakura in this situation. Like team seven when Sasuke-teme and I fought and she tried to get us to square up… My, I have a new found respect for that girl for not blowing up more often then she did. I feel like I want to pummel Madara's head repeatedly against a brick wall until he gets the point sometimes." She explained and tickled his stomach as he laughed and waved his hands. The boy seemed to enjoy her rambling quite a bit and twisted from side to side as he looked up at Naruto.

"What do you think Jiji? Do you know what you would have done in this situation? You know, if you were about one and a half metre taller and all wrinkly again? Any advise for me?" Naruto asked and Hiruzen fussed in his mysterious baby language.

"I don't know if I should do that Jiji. I don't want to fight either of them, not only do I know that they are strong, but I don't feel violence is the key to this problem." She said, trying to imagine his baby talk was actually serious answers of the kind the sandaime would have given her. The baby started laughing again.

"You are absolutely right Jiji. They will some day be citizens of Konoha again, so I should view them as family, which means I protect them, dattebayo. Good answer." She said and grinned back at Hiruzen with all teeth showing.

Apparently this frightened the boy, since next minute he was howling and crying while Naruto tried desperately to calm him down.

* * *

It was a depressing sight how much destruction the village had suffered. Katsu and Madara was standing in the middle of what __used__ to be Karonichi village as nightfall came upon them. There was barely a house standing anymore.

Madara walked through the wreckage of the torn buildings and stepped over a Senju corpse. It had probably been one of Hashirama's shinobi who'd been stationed here to keep out Uchiha such as himself from doing business with Karonichi.

Izuna was searching further up ahead for anything of value. It was a sad truth that when a village fell, it was free reign for everyone who got there first. Someone had already been here it seemed, probably the survivors.

It looked like there had been some to live through the destruction, he could see civilians huddling here and there. Looking shell shocked and sometimes injured with burn marks.

They couldn't do anything for them, they had enough to deal with themselves at the moment. Karonichi village had also never done anything for the Uchiha before, they were allies of the Senju, and Madara had little patience with people like that. Naruto being the only exception to this.

Katsu started looking through what once had been a slaughter house, while Madara continued up ahead. Maybe they'd find some blankets, you could never get enough of them during winter.

Madara wasn't a cold hearted man, but in situations like this it was better to try and think about rational things. Like what would benefit his own people. But even as he dragged out a half burned rug from some of the ruins he could smell the burned flesh in the air, the smoke and dust still lingering lower down. And felt himself shiver while thought of the fate of those who'd not been lucky enough to save themselves.

It truly looked like a version of hell.

"It's horrifying isn't it?"

The voice came out of nowhere, and it startled Madara so greatly he almost jumped in surprise, instead he whirled around on the spot, staring wide eyed into the dark half torn house behind him.

"Who's there?" He asked, commanding an answer by the tone of his voice.

"It's horrifying what lack of power can do..." Said the hoarse dark voice, ignoring his question.

"I said; who are you?" Repeated Madara and held up his kama. He knew Izuna and Katsu was out of hearing range by now, but hopefully this person was just a begging survivor who'd try a poetic approach to get something from him.

In the darkness two yellow eyes suddenly shone back at him. Madara couldn't see anything else but shadows though, the person had to be covered in sooth because despite his activated Sharingan the Uchiha was not able see him properly.

"No one important… I'm just an observer Uchiha-san. I mean no harm… I came because of the commotion that awful beast created… I tried, but failed to save anyone..." He rasped out in that horrible voice. Madara tensed at the word 'beast'.

_'An animal had done all this? What sort of animal could do so much damage?'_

"Are you hurt?" Asked Madara, suddenly wondering if it was the injuries that made him sound so awful. Sooth inhalation perhaps.

The person paused for a second, but then found his broken voice again. "Only in my spirit… That yonbi is such a dreadful evil thing. Only a piece of a puzzle that can't be controlled or think properly." The yellow eyes said and seemed to raise in height. As the person had been sitting in the dark and rose up.

_'The yonbi? As in one of the tailed beasts? That did all this? No wonder there so much fire around here. And that explains the dark hard substance all around since the yonbi can use lava.'_ Madara thought and then registered what else he'd mentioned.

With a jolt Madara startled at his words. "Piece?" He questioned and took a step closer.

"Of course… It was originally the ten tails… Controlled and utilised for the better good of the world..." Muttered the person, and Madara felt a shiver go up his spine. The ten tails… He'd never heard of anyone knowing of that except Naruto, Hashirama and himself. How could this random civilian know of that?

This… This person.. Or was it a person? It couldn't be… What was the name again?

Zeus?

"Who are you?!" He growled, suddenly tense as a rock while he kept his Kama pointing towards the darkness. "Give me your name creature!" Madara demanded while he felt sweat gathering on his brow. Words Naruto had spoken so many years ago coming back to him clearer than ever.

"Creature? What makes you call me that? Have you heard of me somehow? I wouldn't be surprised, that evil girl has been filling your head with lies hasn't she? Namikaze Naruto I believe her name is..."

Madara felt his teeth clench at his words, he remembered the name now, black Zetsu. The creature tailing the descendants of Hagoromo's sons and making trouble. Always making sure there was never rest. 

"Shut up. I know what you are, she told me everything about you." He hissed and took another step forwards.

He wondered why he felt so scared. This black lump didn't feel very powerful, there was no intensity of power or even killing intent. Maybe it was because it was dawning on him that if everything Naruto said was true, it meant this thing was both old and very slippery. And it had come for _him._ Which meant…

Indra… his reincarnation...

"Namikaze told you her lies I'm sure, but before you do something you might regret later, will you not hear me out? You've only heard that abnormality's version of events." Said the black creature and the eyes came closer.

"I hardly think that will change my opinion. And calling Naruto an abnormality is highly sarcastic coming from you. I'll kill you for her myself." Snarled Madara back.

"She shouldn't exist..." Said Zetsu urgently, seeing that Madara truly meant what he'd said.

Something rang in the back of Madara's mind. Naruto had said the exact same thing only two weeks ago. _"I'm not good for anyone, I shouldn't even be here, shouldn't exist-"_ and then she'd stopped herself from saying anything further. Like she'd said too much. Madara had been more focused on the situation back then. He was being rejected by the woman he loved after all.

"I've kept track of her for years, just like she's done with me. Whatever she's told you about herself and where she came from is not true. Namikaze Naruto was never a permanent inhabitant of Itanika village for example, she just happened to be there when your clan destroyed it. What makes you believe whatever else she told you is true, Madara?

Madara's hand faulted, his arm twitched slightly at Zetsu's words.

The shadow took the opportunity to continue. "She shouldn't be here, she's a liar and a deceit. Namikaze Naruto is a creature that does not belong in this world. Have you never wondered how she got so powerful? Even though no one taught her before you met her? People like you have become powerful through learning and being taught the arts of shinobi, but don't you find it miraculous that a homeless girl with no village, friends or family became so strong?" He asked, taking a step closer. Madara started walking backwards, teeth clenched as he glared at the shadow.

He didn't want this disgusting thing to play mind tricks on him. He knew Naruto, knew she was good. The loveliest person he'd ever met. This sorry excuse of a being shouldn't get to him like this.

And yet… Yet what he said had often bothered him. He didn't understand how she'd become so strong. Not being able to reply properly, to shoot him down in his arguments, Zetsu started again. But wisely didn't come another step closer to the Uchiha.

"My powers are greatly inferior to hers. I stand no chance against something like  _ _that.__ What my abilities can do is __sense.__ I'm what you would call a sensor and a tracker. But unlike humans I don't sense for chakra. I sense souls." He explained in that croaky annoying voice.

"That makes sense. According to Naruto you've been tracking the reincarnation of Indra and Ashura through their descendants for a very long time. This is how you found them I gather." Growled Madara, understanding what wasn't being said, the reason Zetsu was talking to him, and only him.

"Yes… I can also merge into anything. I can pass through water, earth and fire. All I need is a little shadow." Said Zetsu, and if he'd had a visible mouth Madara was sure he would have been smiling.

"That's how I can claim Naruto shouldn't exist. Her soul… It is an abnormality." Madara hissed at his words. Furious Zetsu could expect him to fall for such crap. Naruto was anything but wrong. She was fucking __light__ itself.

"Thirteen years ago, when Naruto supposedly was six years old she just _popped_ into this world. Where she came from I do not know, but I  _felt_ her being created. All I know is that the world became imbalanced, it still is, Madara. She's violating the system." Black Zetsu said with a mournful tone. It was hard to distinguish between emotions, his voice was just so damned rough.

"Shut up… Naruto is trying with everything she got to save people, what the hell could she have done that could violate some system? You're a liar." He growled, but he had yet to attack. Torn between fury and curiosity.

"She's a protector of bijū… Look around you Madara, are they anything to _protect?_ She was in Water Country a few years ago and saved the sanbi from getting sealed. Saving it for another day to kill and destroy this world. I think she's told you some truth at least. The best lies always have a base of truth in them. When they stay like pieces, there's almost no control in them. They're stupid, only feeling parts of a whole. Can't reflect on their actions nor feel remorse. If they had managed to seal the thing then it wouldn't stay a problem, but the best would have been to complete it again. Make it controlled and forced under one leader who had power over it, a true jinchūriki."

"jinchūriki?" Muttered Madara despite himself, he had no idea what that was.

"A human sacrifice. Someone who can control and jailer the monster, that's what the Uzumaki clan named them at least." Said black Zetsu, and as he moved Madara thought he could see a contrast between the dark shed and a humanoid black shape. A blackness shaped as a man in the shadows.

"Of course they usually go very unstable afterwards. The monsters starts influencing them, make them go insane from what I hear. The sealing is usually faulty, and not permanent enough for a whole human lifespan. You never know what might push a jinchūriki over the edge, and then the monster comes out. In truth, only the Uchiha with their powerful eyesight can truly ever control them properly." Black Zetsu ranted off, his round yellow orbs of eyes intent on the Uchiha.

"Shut.. up! This is rubbish, why the hell are you telling me this? I'm not helping you gather the nine bijū to create the ten tails. I'm not helping you save your fucking mum! You just said that the best lies are those who are based on truth. Naruto has done nothing to warrant my distrust, you on the other hand is the dodgiest thing I've ever put my eyes on. So why the _fucking_ hell should I believe a word you say? You are not even human, I should kill you myself, right now." Madara said and finally managed to break out of his strange compelling sensation he'd had up until now to listen.

"Then I guess it's time for me to go then, but I should tell you one more thing before I do. The kyūbi has been missing for over six years now. An odd coincidence that it disappeared the same week as Namikaze Naruto visited it... isn't it?"

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for reading this story, you are so wonderful for taking the time.
> 
> I actually planned for no hints of Naruto being a jinchuriki to be mentioned yet. But I felt it would be a very good way of making Madara distrust her. She has told him a fair few lies after all.
> 
> Also, thanks to everyone who leave a comment, I have no one reading through this before posting, so another point of view is truly appreciated and help me get my act together when writing this story.
> 
> Please forgive any grammar mistakes, I do the best I can to avoid them but English isn't my native language unfortunately...


	14. Murphy's Law

**Chapter thirteen – Murphy's law**

_Murphy's law_ _is an_ _adage_ _or_ _epigram_ _that is typically stated as: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong._

* * *

Izuna was looking for his brother, he had noticed him wander off a while ago, but hadn't seen him since. It took him forty five minutes to locate his bother inside a half broken shed, sitting on his gunbai, and looking thoughtfully back at him in the dark. Izuna couldn't for the life of him guess what had come over his brother to use this ruin as a place to take a time-out.

"Um… Are you alright there, big bro? This isn't exactly the best place to take a nap. Not the time for it either. Shouldn't you be helping us gather up things so we can get the hell out of here as quickly as possible?" He asked, looking worriedly at the stern look on his brothers face. Hoping the destruction hadn't gotten to him.

It happened every now and then. Ninjas got so fed up with war and violence they snapped. Sometimes it was without warning, while other times it came gradually with increasingly strange behaviour. The end result was alarming in both circumstances. Odd behaviour, mentally unstable and dangerous to both the victim and the ones around him. Izuna really hoped this wasn't that.

Madara looked back at him and nodded while getting to his feet.

"What's going on? Did you find anything at all?" Asked Izuna curiously.

"No… I was sidetracked..." Muttered Madara and walked past his younger brother. "We're going back to the village at once, Izuna. Find Katsu and we'll leave. Other clans might be here any moment to plunder the destruction as well. We're outnumbered and I don't want to end up in a fight right now. I need to think."

Izuna looked curiously at his brother, but without voicing his many questions he did as told and went to find Katsu.

Madara wasn't sure why he hadn't mentioned his meeting with black Zetsu. But he felt dirty for some reason, like the creature had infected him, and he didn't want it to contaminate his younger brother as well.

First he had to find a cure, and he had an idea that was starting to make him obsessed. An idea which might just be the solution to all their problems.

* * *

Completely destroyed.

There was barely anything left of Karonichi village by now, only broken buildings, gravel and roof tiles littered in heaps as far as Hashirama could see.

The leader of the Senju had only just convinced Mito not to go after Naruto when one of his guards had knocked on the door, informing him that the last ninja shift going to Karonichi had come back again ahead of schedule.

They reported that the civilian village was destroyed, and that five of their ninjas who had been there was found dead.

After hurriedly getting ready, all three Senju brother plus a few others had ran to Karonichi village at top speed. Now they stood there taking it in while unanswered questions rang through all of their minds.

"What could have done this?" Asked Itama in horror. Staring at the dead civilians lying bloody and burned in the ruins.

"Those damned Uchiha. What the hell made them attack Karonichi village for? This is just like that time with Itanika." Growled Tamotsu in fury, arms trembling as he clutched his fists hard and glared over the destroyed village.

Hashirama saw the wasted land. The beautiful trees that had reached the lake a little down in the terrain. The green grass growing over the field towards the rocky mountain side far away to the east. How unrecognisable it all was now.

"This… Was this really the Uchiha?" Hashirama asked doubtfully, it didn't actually look like the works of humans at all. More like a hurricane had swept through and caught fire to the houses at the same time. The area was filled with burn marks on everything from rocks to what remained of the houses.

"No, it wasn't, not according to the survivors at least." Said Sarutobi Sasuke who'd just met up with them and was letting them digest the imagery of the ruins. He and a few others of his clan had already been here when the team of Senjus had arrived and was going through the ruins, trying to help whomever needed it.

"It wasn't the Uchiha?" Asked Itama and peaked up at the Sarutobi member with surprise.

"No, according to the survivors it was a beast who came through this village, and destroyed everything in could come across." He answered, looking pointedly at Hashirama.

"Oh… You mean…" Muttered Hashirama, eyes widening once he understood what the Sarutobi clan member meant. He turned even paler then he'd already been by seeing the destruction, his expression frozen in an unnatural grim expression.

"What do you mean? What did this? It wasn't a…?" Asked Tobirama, trailing off and looking towards his brother who seemed to have figured it out already.

Shifting from foot to foot he looked back at Sasuke. "I think… This was done by a bijū." Hashirama said, pointing at the large crater in front of them. Maybe it was a footprint of the beast that had torn down the village. It wouldn't surprise Hashirama at all.

Tobirama's eyes narrowed even further, making them only slits as he studied his brother. "A biju? _Here?_ Why would it attack a civilian village? What the hell was it doing here in the first place?" he muttered, sounding more like he was voicing his own thoughts then actually asking them.

The Sarutobi shrugged, looking as clueless as Hashirama felt while running a hand over his face. "They talked about a great and powerful animal attacking them. It came at full speed yesterday and attacked the village." Explained Sasuke and shook his head tiredly.

"How many tails?" Hashirama inquired and crossed his arms in front of him while listening to what Sasuke had to tell them. It was vital to understand what had happened here, it was very close to his own village, and if there really was a bijū trampling around destroying everything in its path then he needed to be certain.

"I don't know, we weren't here during the attack Hashirama-san. We came much later after a man came running into our village and managed to tell us of a monster who had killed everyone before fainting. So all we know is what we heard after we got here from the civilians. And they're not reliable sources. They said everything from four to twenty tails. One described the thing as a black ghostly beast, the other a red monster that shot flames, it's hard to be certain what actually went down. You know how fear and terror can make people imagine things that isn't really there." Said Sasuke and shrugged while looking over to a group of survivors only a small distance away from them.

"I see… Thank you Sasuke-san. For letting us know… We will have to return home now to bury our men." Answered Hashirama sadly and looked at the storage scrolls which contained the bodies of their friends. Tobirama was the one carrying them.

The Sarutobi nodded in understanding and indicated towards the group close by.

"I understand, of course I do. I'm sorry for your loss Hashirama-san. We are actually taking care of some of the survivors who needs help, but we can't take them all. There is about thirty in total and more than we can take in. I was wondering if you would be willing to let a few come to your village? About half of them?" Asked the Sarutobi.

Hashirama looked to the group of people sitting silently around the village, having found a few of their possessions and huddling together in packs of two to five. They seemed still to be digesting what had happened, a few looking shocked and disbelieving.

"Yes, two of my men is already asking around if some of them want to join us in the Senju village, if they agree my shinobi will lead them back later when they're ready." Answered Hashirama and thought of the problem this would lead to.

They didn't have that much food, but they couldn't refuse to help at a time like this. The village had always come through for them, now it was time for them to honour that gesture and show they were reliable.

An hour later, after saying goodbye to the Sarutobi, and having a quick talk with the two staying behind, they headed home. For a half the trip most stayed quiet, but eventually Tobirama spoke up.

"Do you have a plan brother? I think we'll have to do something about this mess." He mused and looked gravely back at him. Hashirama wasn't feeling to well about this subject, but nodded anyway. "You're right… First I want to talk to our guests though. They will know more than we do about how to deal with a bijū."

* * *

Hiruzen's father had yet to return to the Sarutobi village when Naruto woke up the day after her first D rank mission in this time line.

But what had returned however, was a sea of rumours which Ren started talking about the moment Naruto walked into the kitchen, still in her pyjamas and running a hand through her wilder then usual hair.

"Oh Naruto, good to see you awake." She started the moment she saw her in the door opening. "Did you hear? I just heard from Kyo-chan's mum that her husbands third cousin had heard from a friend who lives up by the river that Karonichi village has been destroyed. It's completely gone and a lot of civilians are dead." Exclaimed Ren looking worriedly out of the kitchen window.

Naruto, who'd yet to properly wake up - it was just a little after five in the morning after all - stirred and looked surprised back at the mother with her baby in her lap. Feeling her drowsiness evaporate like fog in a hurricane.

"What? How?! I was there just two days ago and everything seemed fine. How could that be?" The blonde asked loudly, making Hiruzen stir and fuss.

"I don't know... That's just it, they say the whole village is in ruins, and that some beast attacked them without warning. I feel so sorry for them. I knew the woman who sells fruit pretty well over there… I hope she's alright." Muttered Ren and started rocking her baby to calm him down again.

"Beast?" Muttered Naruto so low Ren didn't hear her at all. Dread turning in her stomach as she realised what that might mean. How could she have missed that? How could she have been babysitting when a bijū had been so close by? Which had it been? And why had it done that? Could it be that the same had happened again? Like two years ago when the sanbi had attacked water country?

Naruto was gritting her teeth in anger when Ren looked worriedly up at her and asked if Naruto was feeling well.

"I'm fine, Ren. But I have to leave right away. Thank you for your hospitality and letting me stay the night. Take care of little J- Hiruzen for me. I'll have to go now, I'll pack and head for Karonichi village as soon as possible." Naruto said and left the kitchen before Ren had time to utter the word 'why?'

Naruto's mind was now whirling with different possibilities, and her own fears were growing steady worse.

* * *

The moment Madara stepped into the Uchiha village he headed straight for the library. Izuna and Katsu gazed curiously after him as he ran towards the wooden building.

He was in an uproar of thoughts as he went to the archive to search through the scrolls he knew might give him the answers he needed. All the while trying to figure out what had been lies, and what had been truth amongst the creatures many claims.

Black Zetsu had said the best lies was based on truth, and Madara believed that as well. He couldn't deal with the idea of Naruto being a jinchūriki just yet, first he had to see if his other suspicion was correct. So after emptying the shelf's of every scroll related to the topic, Madara got comfortable on the floor to read.

His younger brother came in to see him half a day later with food and water for him, while Madara sat emerged in hundreds of scrolls in the small chamber next to the main archive in the Uchiha library.

Izuna tried to ask what on earth he was doing and why he had just disappeared, but only got a few swear words and a book thrown after him for disturbing Madara's concentration. He was growing frustrated at the lack of progress in his research, and promised himself to apologize to Izuna whenever he had found what he was looking for.

All day he sat in there, black Zetsu's words swimming around in his head as he went from scroll to scroll. Hoping the next one would be the document he needed. As a kid he'd been I here plenty with his dad, and before that his grandfather who loved the room.

It had the log books of the main family stemming back for ten generations, and was the key to teaching the next generations everything they needed to know. Their history, their legacy, their powers and abilities.

It also held many things today forgotten. Madara found a cool jutsu that looked like a fire bird attack according to the drawing, but only lay it aside for later studies, as he reached for the next file. Soon… Soon he would come across what he needed to know.

Hopefully...

* * *

Hashirama was sitting with his brothers and the Uzumaki siblings at home while they discussed what had occurred in the civilian village. Mito looked grim while Kurou seemed uncomfortable as they listened to the description of the ruins.

"And the survivors described a great beast was the cause of all this… Which makes me thing this has to have been the work of a bijū." Finished Hashirama, looking pointedly at Tobirama who also nodded. Having come to the same conclusion while Itama looked paler than when he'd seen the destruction for himself.

"A...A bijū?" Muttered Kurou and shook his head worriedly.

"That's like.. One of those demons right?" Said Itama and searched his oldest brothers face for confirmation. "You said that back in Karonichi, but I just... What was that doing there? Why did it attack? Which one do you think it is?" He asked looking concerned and worried. "Was it… hungry?"

"No." Interrupted Mito and shook her head while addressing Itama. She fidgeted with her hands as she started explaining her own thoughts about the depressing matter.

"The bijū do not need to eat. They do these things for different reasons. Sometimes it's because the village or someone from the village has angered them. That's usually the case as far we know in Uzu. Trying to attack or drive a bijū away from its turf is also a sure way of getting killed. I can't know exactly what happened here though. Sometimes they are just angry. They feel so much hate, and they hate that hate more then anything. If an area is filled with hate they can gain the attention of a bijū. Especially the kyūbi and itchibi is known for seeking out war zones to join in the destruction." Mito explained quietly. Kurou shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot but didn't voice his own thoughts.

"Which one is this? They are different aren't they? Do you have any ideas?" Asked Hashirama pointing to the crater behind them. Urgently leaning forwards.

"Well… No, not really. I can only say it's probably not the seven tails. It doesn't attack very often, and usually flies away. It shies away from humans more then the rest." Replied the red haired girl with a sigh.

"Or the nine tails." Added Kurou and Mito looked questionably at him.

"Why not? I actually assumed it was the kyūbi. He's known to be in these lands more then any of the others." She said inquisitively. Her brother shrugged and robbed the back of his head while straightening his glasses.

"Well… He usually goes for a challenge, right? Likes more opposition to gloat? This is a civilian village." replied Kurou, hating to lie to his sister. But classified meant classified. Grandfather would be furious if he told his sister, and far more if the Senju found out.

"That's all your basing your assumption on? Who knows what the demon thinks. Fire has been used here though, so that could indicate the yonbi, but still… I'm not sure at all." she said the last to Hashirama. Kurou looking shamefully downwards. He absolutely hated keeping the secret about Naruto from her.

"We can't allow this thing to wander these lands. We have to chase it away somehow." Hashirama told the others with worry.

"How? Do you remember the stories father told us from when he was little? When the kyūbi attacked the Hagaromo village? They barely managed to run for their lives! They had to rebuild the whole village from scratch." Exclaimed Itama.

"We have to do something. If not it might attack _our_ village next." Claimed Tobirama, nodding to his older brother. "The Uchiha will probably know soon, or might already know. They do have some good sensors in that clan. Especially Madara." He frowned and scratched his jaw thoughtfully. "That… could be good… or disastrous..." He closed his eyes without saying anything further.

"I agree, Tobirama. We'll send out scouts right away to search for it." Hashirama replied and nodded to Tobirama who got up and left their little meeting at once.

"But what when we find the thing? I know you're strong brother, but these beast are legendary..." Argued Itama and shifted in his seat uncomfortable and worried.

"That's why I'm letting Mito and Kurou know all this… I believe you have bloodline that can help us out Mito. The Uzumaki chains is known to bind chakra. __All__ chakra." Said Hashirama seriously and looked pointedly at the red headed woman.

"You are correct, Hashirama. I can help you in this situation, but I think grandfather will have a fit if he hears about this. It was not in our agreement at all." She replied but had a contemplating look as she peeked over at her younger brother. Kurou seemed to get even more nervous, and he exhaled deeply to calm himself down.

"No sister. Absolutely not. You said you would stay in the village… You can't seriously be thinking… of doing… __that.__ " Muttered Kurou and frowned so deeply he looked stunningly like Ashina. Only with red hair instead of white.

"Do what?" Asked Hashirama curiously, looking between the siblings having a silent argument with one another.

"It's reckless and extremely dangerous! We are not leaving this barrier Mito!" Exclaimed Kurou after a few seconds.

Mito sighed and looked back to Hashirama. "We have a sealing technique in Uzu that is deemed forbidden. _I_ can use it however, master Yasu taught it to me since I'm good enough in fuinjutsu to do it. It is a sealing technique that can a bind a bijū completely to a human sacrifice. We call it a jinchūriki." She said and started studying her finger tips while leaning backwards.

Kurou exclaiming his outrage at his sister for saying so much to outsiders. He didn't seem to like the idea one bit either.

"Shut up, Kurou. Hashirama is right. That bijū is roaming around the Fire Country as we speak. Who knows what it will attack next? Maybe here, maybe some innocent wanderers who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. We can seal the beast up for good, and you know it. Hashirama is very powerful, and his wood technique act in a similar way to my own chakra chains. Together we could stop the beast, and seal him for good. We'd never have to worry about it again."

* * *

Naruto walked away from Karonichi village with a downcast face in a furious discussion with Kurama while she left the destroyed gates.

_'What are we going to do now? This… was it the yonbi? Some of those patches looked like cooled lava patches to me.' Naruto said and looked up into Kurama's worried face._

_'Yes… Most likely… We missed that inc blotch from right underneath our noses. This must have been his work again. I can't see any reason for the gorilla to attack this civilian village without some sort of reason. He might be short tempered, but even he knows how littered this area is with ninjas. It seems like a pointless thing to attack a civilian village when he knows how risky it is to wander through the Fire Country. Even I had to be careful when I once roamed this country. I attacked the Hagatomo village once when they tried to challenge me. Steal my power, you know what I'm talking about brat. But even then I did it as a last resort...' Said the demon fox and got to his feet while stretching as he thought over what to do next. Naruto on the same line of thoughts._

_'So who do we go after first? Black Zetsu or the yonbi?' She asked and gritted her teeth. Most likely black Zetsu was somewhere very close, but the yonbi… Should she let him roam free like that? Should she warn him or let him fend for himself from the clans who might soon be hunting him?_

_What if Hashirama started going after him? He could get killed, or the yonbi could actually get sealed. Mito was in the Senju village and… and she could become a jinchūriki…She'd been one in Naruto's first time line. Naruto had believed that wouldn't happen now that Naruto and Kurama worked together, and technically speaking Kurama already had a jinchūriki._

_'I hate to say this but I think in this case we'll have to help the gorilla… Black Zetsu might be close by, but so is my idiot brother. We'll have to make sure he gets out of Fire Country, and talk to him about not listening to black dodgy creatures who riles bijū's up for no good reason. I can't believe that thing fooled Son as well. I mean, Isobu was always a little dimwitted and easy to manipulate, Son Goku might be reckless, but not so easily fooled as the three tails.' He muttered darkly and shook his head._

_'So we'll go after Son then… What if we run into Hashirama? How do I explain this to him? I told him as kids that the bijū shouldn't be attacked or controlled. That they have feelings too. But he just killed off a lot of innocent and defenceless people...' Naruto said trailing off feeling dejected._

_It was such a horrifying memory of the burned corpses and torn village. It reminded her of how the Yuki village had looked after the Sanbi had attacked it two years ago in water country. That had been just as bad, but at least more people had survived. They had mainly been a village of ninjas who could fend better against a bijū._

_'I know you're getting all sentimental and doubtful Naruto. But remember your promise to us. It might have been in a different time but you said you'd free us all. I have chosen of my own free will to aid you, but Son has no wish to serve some human brat. You never go back on your word Naruto. You've already been through this once with Isobu in water country, you chose to help him then, now we have to do the same with Son Goku.' He said and lay down again. His largeslitted eyes looking accusingly at Naruto who smiled sadly back at the fox._

_'You're right Kurama… I don't go back on my words. I just wish it didn't have to be this hard...'_

* * *

"Finally come out of your cave, I see." Said Izuna and smiled up at Madara who came rushing into the elders chamber with a triumphing smile on his face. Looking more excited then Izuna could remember ever seeing him.

"What is going on Madara-sama? You've been locked in the library for a very long time. What have you been searching for?" Asked the eldest in the room. An old woman named Chieko who'd been around longer then anyone else could remember. She was pushing sixty, which was an extremely old age because of the war times they lived in. She beat the runner up by a good twenty two years amongst the Uchiha. As the oldest she was greatly respected for her power as a retired kunoichi, and also for her level headedness.

Madara walked up to the middle of the room, looking almost as if he was gliding. His aura was filled with new found energy and confidence.

"I've been figuring out what to do next. It has come to my knowledge that what attacked Karonichi village was not another clan of ninjas. It was a bijū." He said looking from face to face amongst the crowd of about ten people. Izuna being the youngest by far, and Madara had no idea why on earth he was here in the first place.

"A bijū?" Muttered Chieko and shook her old wrinkly head. Her short white hair moving stiffly along as she looked mournfully back at Madara. "How do you know that? Couldn't it have been some clan? I heard from Izuna-san there was a lot of fire during this attack, according to the state of the village afterwards. Izuna here seems to think it might have been the Sarutobi clan. They are skilled with fire release too, and live close by. It might have been a disagreement we haven't heard of yet." She said in her croaky voice and looked over at the youngest of the Uchiha brothers.

"It wasn't. I know it wasn't. It doesn't matter how I know, but it matters what we do with this from now on." He said and held up the battered old scroll in his hand.

"This belonged to my great, great grand father. He talked about his many adventures and opponents he faced back in his day, and something he experienced during his travels. According to his logs he ran into a large, cat like creature in what we know today as Wind Country. He described it as a huge animal made of blue and black flames, which to me sounds a lot like the Nibi, the great cat demon." Madara said while looking eagerly into Chieko's eyes.

"He also explains how he survived the ordeal. He was as some of you might know, the last before my father Uchiha Tajima to activate the Mangekyō Sharingan, and he used it against the Nibi to get away. He wasn't sure how he did it though. He explains that the cat froze up, it's eyes becoming a mirror of his own eyes. He writes; 'The sharingan visible in the fiery cat's gaze for everyone to see'. Do you understand what that means?" He said excitedly, looking between them all with that eager and almost childish smile on his face.

"Em… No?" Answered Izuna and voiced all of their confused opinions. Silently the younger brother wondered if maybe Madara finally had become sleep deprived enough to start talking rubbish.

Frustrated Madara waved the scroll in front of them, looking as energetic and pumped up as if he was fighting Hashirama while he answered the riddle for them.

"It means, dear brother, that the Uchiha has the power to control the bijū… Someone with a good pair of sharingan can capture the bijū who attacked Karonichi and use it for our own benefit. A power unique to the Uchiha alone! I have finally found the way for us to win this war."

* * *

Naruto was close to the Uchiha village when she first saw them. A large number of ninjas leaving the village in groups of four to seven. All in different directions. They were armed and in full battle gear as they hurried away from their village, while Naruto hid the best she could on such short notice.

_'What is going on?'_ She though, and Kurama stirred in the back of her mind.

_'If you ask me I'd say the Uchiha is sending out forces to track down Son… It looks like Hashirama isn't the only threat to my brother as we first thought. I should have known… Madara came for me once, how could I not have guessed he'd do the same now that Son is wandering around in arms reach of that brat.' He answered, getting more and more worked up as the Uchiha rushed out through the gates. 'We need to hurry, Naruto. We have to find that gorilla first no matter what.'_ He added, sounding more stressed then angry while he started thinking of where they should start looking for the yonbi.

Naruto's fists clenched, and she bit her lip as the last Uchiha ran out of sight. This situation was only getting worse by the minute.

_'Shit...'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Short chapter I know, but I felt it was better to divide this here then halfway through what's happening in the next one.


	15. Polar Night

**Chapter fourteen – Polar Night**

_'Night' is understood as the centre of the Sun being below a free horizon. In areas within the polar circle, polar night occurs when the sun doesn't come up over the horizon and results in night lasting for more than 24 hours._

* * *

With his jaw resting in the palm of his hand, Madara sat thinking deeply over what he'd been avoiding for over a day. He was sitting together with Izuna out on the training ground while they ate lunch in silence. The village felt unusually quiet, probably because it was the first time ever Madara had sent so many people out without going with them himself. Right now however, it was better to stay in one location, so that everyone knew where to find and report to him whenever they found something.

The lunch he'd brought was only half eaten, and when he knew his appetite was gone for good, his mind drifted to the blond girl he'd recently got rejected by, and what she might be hiding.

While he didn't doubt Naruto, not at all, he still wondered what had been a lie and what had not, amongst the slippery black shape's words. The creature had said she'd just 'popped' into the world at six years old. It was the strangest lie he'd ever heard, not to mention that thing about her soul being abnormal and tilting some sort of system? It was the craziest load of bullshit he'd ever been served in his life, and also things it was impossible to prove.

No, they had to be lies…

The Itanika thing though… He had been convinced she'd told him the truth about that. Her village was destroyed, and an Uchiha had done it. But the evidences was stacked against her. After the village was destroyed the Uchiha had taken everything of documentation stored there, and after going through it he hadn't found a single sentences about any Namikaze at all.

Maybe she was a very good liar… Maybe she had been a beggar… It was very hard to be sure.

The jinchuriki part though… Black Zetsu had said it went missing six years ago, and her being a demon container would be possible to prove.

...Somehow…

It might be that she… Had sealed it as a way of self defence… Or _someone_ had sealed it in her in self defence. She had been thirteen years old after all. How the hell does a thirteen year old manage to seal the strongest of the bijū inside oneself?

Maybe the demon had been in an area where she'd wandered into. It would almost be miraculous for her not to have been close to one of the bijūs with the amount of travelling she'd done in her life.

Out of all the creatures spewing of crap, her being a jichuriki didn't sound so far fetched to Madara. Naruto never seemed to get tired, or run out of chakra, and she healed… Healed so quickly, even quicker then Hashirama… maybe.. Maybe those things all came down to her being a jinchuriki.

The reason she'd never told would be obvious… Who'd want to tell that to anyone? No one would trust you if they knew, would be scared and keep her away. Hell, even Madara had been sick at the thought that he'd let her into the village at first, only for the feeling to turn into guilt.

Naruto had never done anything wrong to them. Only a stab wound to the leg to one of his shinobi that hadn't been anything serious. Only to save a little boy she'd sympathised for in a spur of the moment decision. Afterwards she'd protected himself and his brother from Senju Butsuma, then again with this protection barrier around the village.

But still… While he truly believed Naruto had always acted for the best, he also wondered if maybe _her_ best wasn't the same as the _Uchihas_ best _._ The words of his father still lingered in the back of his mind.

_'But remember, Madara, and never forget, that the clan comes first. Before yourself, before me or your brother or any singular person.'_

Yes… The clan came first… Maybe not before Izuna, but certainly before his little... _crush._ This bijū was the key to stopping his clan getting killed and die out. His people could be saved once and for all if they just obtained the power of a demon, and this was something even Izuna couldn't talk him out of.

Still musing about everything he'd do once they obtained one of the tailed beast, Uchiha Yuko sought him out to report her mission in person. "Bad news, Madara-sama. The Senju has caught on to the biju. They have started scouting for it as well."

Uchiha Yuko was a year younger then Madara. She had brown short hair that reached to her yaw with bright brown eyes, which she'd managed to activate when she was ten years old. She was an excellent sensor who could feel disturbances in chakra. The more the better she felt it. This was a perfect mission for a sensor with her abilities.

Madara turned away from his brother and his sharingan activated in anger. "What makes you sure?" he asked insistently.

"We managed to overhear some of the Senju scouts searching the eastern borders. They were talking about the ruins of the civilian village and was scared of their mission. They never said exactly what they were afraid of, but I think it's safe to assume they came to the same conclusion as you did, Madara-sama." The young woman reported. She was dirty and tired looking. Being out for two weeks, only to be sent straight out again when she returned to search for the bijū.

"It looks like we're in a race then." Said Izuna thoughtful.

"Yes. It seems like we are, I'll guess it's time I started looking for the demon myself. Now that Hashirama is out looking for it we're in a hurry." Madara told his brother who nodded.

"Tell me how the scouting has gone so far." he ordered Yuko who at once started summarizing the last couple of days in the field.

* * *

The searching for the bijū was a surprisingly hard task. You'd think something that large would be pretty easy to find wouldn't you? But unfortunately for Hashirama this wasn't the case. They had been out in in the wild for one and a half day without a trace of it, until they ran into a very scared civilian shouting about a huge red gorilla that had crossed his path half a day ago.

The intensity of the search had a renewed surge of energy and they trotted on after hearing these news. Kurou was looking just as sour as he'd been when they left the Senju village, while Mito was concentrating with everything she had as they moved through the forest. With them was about forty five shinobi who'd been called in after they heard news of the biju.

Mito had concluded from the civilian's description, that they were dealing with the yonbi, so Tobirma had gotten the main responsibility to deal with the thing together with Hashirama. While the eldest brother's wood technique might be of help to subdue the gorilla, it would be difficult to take it down with such a flammable element.

Itama had been sent far back in the rank. While he was a skilled shinobi with a pretty good water element and a surprisingly well tuned to lighting affinity, he was too young to deal with something like this. Hashirama quietly had a feeling they all were.

"I wish Naruto was here." Muttered Mito and looked sourly towards Tobirama.

"Why? I'd doubt she'd be anything but another hinder for us." Bit the Senju back, looking just as grumpy as Mito was.

"Because, Naruto can sense chakra. She'd find the beast in a second." She answered angrily.

"Naruto is a sensor?" Asked Itama curiously.

"Yes, a damned good one too." Mito retorted with another angry look at Tobirama.

"She wouldn't help with this..." Muttered Kurou and straightened his glasses while keeping his eyes straight forwards. He seemed to have said the words as if it had been something he'd thought, not said.

"Why do you say that? Naruto would be even more horrified then we are about the destruction the yonbi caused that poor village." Said Mito stubbornly back to her brother.

"You are forgetting sister, that Naruto has already been involved with a similar situation. While you are right the she would indeed find this bijū very quickly, she would have sent it away instead of… capturing it, as we are attempting." He said the last words with contempt and his went back to his private brooding.

Kurou was extremely pissed off about being involved in this ordeal, and believed they were making matters worse by trying to capture it. While Naruto might act like an idiot at times, her intentions and convictions were usually very good.

Not capturing bijūs was one of her strongest 'no-no' as she had so gallantly worded it. He couldn't let his sister go alone though, he couldn't just sit back at in the Senju village while she ran off to fight a biju for crying out loud.

* * *

_'_ _Kurama?_ _'_ Asked Naruto to the bijū inside her mindscape. While Naruto was focusing on running, she was letting Kurama do the scouting.

_'_ _Hmmm… Shit, I think they got there before us._ _'_ Growled the fox as she ran through the forest, not bothering with keeping herself hidden any more.

_'_ _What?_ ' She gasped and automatically speeded up.

_'_ _That blasted Senju… And… I think I can feel my former jinchuriki there too._ _'_ Swore the fox as they ran full out through the forest.

_'I though they_ _where south! How can they have gotten past us? And what i_ _s_ _Mito doing here? She was supposed to stay hidden, dattebayo!_ _'_ She growled she tried to see past the surrounding trees. She could clearly feel it now.

They were scared but determined.

She heard the high pitched scream of Son as he started cursing their existence. Clearly pissed out of his mind that anyone was trying to challenge him yet again.

"Fuck." She growled, but this time it was because of the other presence she felt a little ahead of them.

' _Yes, I was about to tell you of them as well…._ _'_ Muttered Kurama as he gritted his teeth and attempted to run as fast as the Hiraishin no jutsu.

The forest became a blur as they pelted through with no regards of who saw or noticed them. To enraged and worried to bother.

They came to a stop as they reached a large lake, and there they were.

Son Gokū on the shore while Mito and Hashirama was keeping him in check with their respective techniques to subdue the bijū.

_'_ _Stop Naruto._ _'_ Commanded Kurama as she was about to launch herself forwards, and she realised why when a horde of shinobi did the same from a little distance away from them. She recognised Madara at once.

They ran forwards, racing towards Son Gokū, Hashirama and Mito, intent on thwarting their attempt at all cost.

The Senju ninjas was on guard in a second, pointing and forming a human barricade between the oncoming enemies and their leader all the while shouting.

"It's the Uchiha!"

"Fuck, Uchiha Madara!"

"Don't let them pass!"

She heard them yell to each other as they took formation around Hashirama and Mito, who seemed to pay them no attention. To busy trying to control Son.

"Hashirama!" Shouted Madara as he more or less blasted the Senju's out of his path.

_'Okay, this escalated quickly... Go n_ _ow!_ _'_ Shouted Kurama inside her head. Jumping like she'd never done in her life she crossed the water and ended up straight behind Mito. Landing while hitting her hard in the neck making her gasp, she sailed down in a dead faint. Her chakra chains slowly starting to fade away.

"Wha-!" Shouted Hashirama as his head swirled between the four tails, Madara who had stopped in shock, the unconscious Mito and lastly to Naruto who stood over her.

With a growl she came at Hashirama who had to move this time.

"NARUTO!" Hashirama and Madara shouted at the same time.

"I will not let you seal Son, damn it!" She growled as the yonbi roared in triumph, finally free to move again.

As Hashirma jumped backwards to avoid her fist, Naruto felt Tobirama behind her and dodged just in time when he came flying past her with his tantō, he'd tried to use the teleport technique to strike her down. Spinning around and kicking him in the stomach, he was blasted away from them in the opposite direction into the water.

Son was making an awful commotion, and Naruto hurriedly used the kage bunshin so her clones could surrounded him and talk some sense to the bijū. Naruto had to make sure he didn't hurt anyone while she focused on her other opponents.

"Leave now, Son Gokū! You are not safe here! You will get sealed into a human if you remain!" The clones shouted while the real Naruto turned warily towards Hashirama who had gotten ready to strike her.

Before he did, Naruto's own anger got the better of her. "What the hell is wrong with you people? Do you have problems understanding me? I say don't fight one another, and yet this war continues. I say don't attack the bijūs, and here you fucking are trying to seal, Son Gokū!"

Hashirama turned angry and stepped forwards while pointing to the red gorilla. "That demon has killed plenty of innocent humans, Naruto! It is too powerful to be left roaming the wild!" He shouted as he raised his blade. Madara came up on the other side, his own kama raised and his eyes blood red.

"The Uchiha will have the four tails." He said in a low threatening voice.

All around them a big fight had started out, Son was still somewhat restrained by Hashirama's wood release, but it was only a matter of seconds before he was free. Naruto's clones was dodging Uchihas and Senjus all the while trying to talk some sense into the the yonbi. The Senjus had started battling the Uchihas, and metal blended shouts was heard all around them.

"Why can't you both see that you are making things worse? Son Gokū did something wrong, and I for one is pissed at him for letting whatever happen go out over Karonichi Village, but sealing him away wont solve anything! It will just make him even more furious! Let me talk to him. I can convince him to leave this land, and to stay away from humans." She shouted back to the both of them.

"No, the yonbi is a powerful weapon. The Uchiha will use the power to win this war once and for all." Said Madara without moving.

"I can't allow the Uchiha to take the yonbi." Said Hashirama with bitterness in his voice.

Son was being his usual frustrating self as he roared at the Naruto clone trying to tell him to get the hell away.

"You big headed ape! Get the hell away from here! And you call humans stupid?!" They heard the clone bark out at the lava spitting gorilla. Instead of answering, he attacked Hashirama. The Senju started ducking, but then two of Naruto's clones jumped in front of the blast and got hit by the burst of lava.

"You're being an idiot, Naruto." Hissed Madara.

"Going up against a bijū, the Senju and Uchiha all at once. You must have lost your mind."

"I never wanted to! You guys are forcing me!" She growled back, pointing accusingly from Hashirama to Madara.

"Please leave, Naruto. This is no place for someone like you. If you don't do as I say, I will have to capture you, and I do not wish to harm you." Muttered Hashirama, trying to reason with his friend.

"Someone like me? I think you must have forgotten what I told you before, Hashirama. Do you not remember what I told you about the bijū? Trapping them will only make our bonds to them even worse then it already is. Do you want a repeat of how things are going with the Uchiha?!" Naruto answered, getting even more pissed off at Hashirama for not understanding why she was doing this.

"What? That thing you told us as kids? That was a _story,_ Naruto, a legend you heard as a child. It doesn't mean it's _true._ Did you not see the destruction and the deaths up in Karonichi village the same way I did? Are you blind to how powerful that demon can be in the wrong hands? I'm trying to help, Naruto."

Tobirama stepped up to them and gave Naruto such a nasty glare she felt like giving him the finger in retaliation.

"Brother, she's crossed the line. If you wont kill her then I will." Muttered Tobirama and came up on Hashirama's side.

"You have enough to deal with Madara and the Yonbi. And someone will have to look after Mito..." He said looking down at the red head by Naruto's feet.

"I would never let anything happen to Mito!" Naruto growled back in fury.

"Funny way of showing it." Said Tobirama and with a sarcastic smile.

In that moment Madara took his chance and focused on Son instead of the others as Izuna came running out of the forest towards them. "Obe-" He started but Naruto was flying towards him in an instant. Throwing Mito to Tobirama who caught her on reflex.

Madara had just enough time to stop Naruto's fist with the his gunbai and he was pushed backwards away from the shore and onto the lake. Izuna came behind his brother and swung his blade at Naruto who dodged sideways, turned and hit him hard in the side so he flew away just the same way Tobirama had done earlier.

In that moment it seemed Son had enough of the diplomacy talk with the remaining Naruto clones. The clones was evaporated as he punched them straight in the head and with a sound of fury he charged against the remaining humans.

"You give me no choice!" Growled Naruto who was dodging Madara's furious kama stabbing, and as the red gorilla came towards them she tapped into Kurama's power.

Madara thought for a moment he must have been hit with a genjutsu. Since Naruto, who he knew did a lot of idiotic things, still couldn't possible be stupid enough to put herself aflame. One moment the young woman was in front of him, crouching sideways as his blade swung downwards, and in the next moment she was gone.

She reappeared standing in front of the four tails with one hand raised in a symbolic denial to let him pass. And to everyone's wonder the four tail stopped dead in his track.

Naruto was letting Kurama do the talking for her this time. As killer B had once told her, the bijū could talk to one another telepathically.

_'Son, get the fuck out of here this instance! Naruto is here because of me, and is trying to save you from getting sealed into a human, damn it! Try cooperating for once and run! Now! Me and Naruto will deal with the talking monkeys here.'_

"You… Kurama..." Said the red demon in wonder.

"Leave… I'll keep them at bay." Naruto said with conviction. The four tails tilted his head, and as if he was struggling with himself, slowly he nodded.

As Naruto turned towards the Uchiha and Senju, the gorilla turned and fled with such a speed, he was making the earth shake slightly each time his gigantic feet hit the ground.

"FUCK YOU, NARUTO! What the hell did you just do?!" Shouted Izuna and ran towards her. Madara stepped in front of his brother and stopped him from getting closer. It looked like a similar scene had occurred between the Senju brothers.

"I will have to stop you now, Naruto. The Senju can't allow you to do these sort of things. You have become a threat to my people." Said Hashirama and came towards her. Madara didn't say anything but his intention seemed similar.

_'My, my. We certainly stepped in it didn't we, brat?'_   She heard Kurama say, his tone amused instead of worried. 

_'Am I supposed to fight them both? At the same time? I could just run for it…?'_

_'Then they will just fight each other. Why don't we teach them a lesson. Even though you act like a moron doesn't mean you can't be right. Let them understand your conviction in this.'_

_'It's the shodai and Uchiha Madara! I needed help just to take down Madara alone once! Do you remember? We had all the shonibi of the five great nations getting beaten into a pulp while they tried to protect us?'_

_'This isn't the ancient rinnegan Madara. This is the young Madara before he turned dark. Hashirama is the same. He's not yet as powerful as he we saw him back in the war. While both are strong, they wont team up, not now. They will attack you as much as they attack each other. It will become a three way battle.'_

_'But… They're my friends…'_

_'So you called, Sasuke. Didn't hinder you from attacking him.'_

Coming out of her conversation she steeled herself for what was coming.

"I'm not going to get captured or killed. I'm right in this. Son Gokū have killed innocent people, I'm not denying that. But can you say your own hands are clean, Hashirama? Have everyone you killed in this war deserved death? Have all of them been evil and mindless as you think Son is? I haven't seen you try to capture anyone in the Uchiha clan and force them to fight their own. That's what I feel you where trying to do to Son just now." She said and glared at Hashirama who halted in his track.

"This is not about good and evil, Naruto. This is about the blood of our people, to save the ones still remaining." Muttered Madara without halting. His expression was twisted, seemingly reluctant but resolved in his course.

"So you say this is about revenge?" She asked and looked sadly at Madara.

"It's about my family, and I'm not going to allow you to spoil our chances to win this war." he replied and came to a stop a short distance away. They stood in a perfect triangle formation on the shore next to the lake. Three friends turned enemies.

The three way deadlock.

Team one of Konoha.

There was so many ironic elements to this, that if the situation wasn't so serious Naruto would have laughed.

"So be it. I've lost _too_ much, fought too hard for you to stop me now." She said and unsheathed her chokutō.

Hashirama attacked first, flying forwards and jabbed with his own chokutō. Kurama had been right when he said they wouldn't team up, since Madara didn't aid him.

Their blades clashed, Naruto gritted her teeth as she pumped chakra through her mussels. Unfortunately as a girl she didn't have the same mussel mass as men did, but chakra was a great equaliser for that.

She saw the pain in Hashirama's eyes, and knew he wanted to kill her as much as Naruto wanted to kill him. The whole situation was just absurd. With a roar they both threw each other backwards and Madara stormed forwards against Naruto.

She had landed on her behind in the water, and had just enough time to stop his kama over her with her chokutō, their weapons struggling against each other. She used Kurama's chakra to make a chakra arm from her chest, and wide eyed Madara jumped backwards to avoid getting grabbed by the clawed hand.

"You… You are, aren't you?" He gasped despite himself. Looking both furious and disbelieving at the same time. Naruto felt a moment of confusion hearing his words, but before she could think much of it the Senju made his presence known.

"Mokuton: Deep forest creation!" Shouted Hashirama and clapped his hands together.

"Suiton: Water dragon bullet technique!" Naruto countered, using the water in the lake to power it up, and hoping it would be strong enough to withstand Hashirama's wood release.

The lake started bubbling as Hashirama's roots moved about on the bottom. Trees started peaking up through the surface of the water while the water dragon Naruto was focusing on protected her from getting caught.

Hashirama and Madara both had abilities that could bind Kurama's power, it was better to depend on nature transformation and normal ninjutsu against opponents like them.

Naruto couldn't help but marvel at how good Hashirama already had become as the scenery completely altered through his powers. It soon looked like an over flooded forest then a lake as the trees continued to grow both inside and outside the lake.

_'He is trying to get more advantage by having trees here! Hashirama has more power on land then on water!'_ Kurama growled to her.

"Katon: phoenix sage fire technique!" Madara shouted and bullets of uncontrollable balls of fire shot towards the both of them.

"Katon: Great fireball technique!" The scorching ball came whooshing towards them, water and wood clashing and fighting against the fire as Madara tried to tear down both of their abilities.

"Fūton: Great wind draft!" Madara shouted, and the fire ball got renewed energy, making Naruto and Hashirama having to move backwards towards the shore to avoid the flames.

"Mokuton: World of trees wall!" Shouted Hashirama and hit the ground hard with the palm of his hand. Naruto recognised the technique, she had seen captain Yamato do something similar once, but this was more powerful. Instead of bare wood shooting up and twisting themselves to make a solid wall, these had branches, and leaves were flourishing like a decades old forest sprouting in just a few seconds.

"What?" She heard Hashirama mutter, but a few second later Madara appeared on top off the wall and cried: "Fūton: Cutting knife technique!"

Rotating disks of wind blades pelted towards them.

"Fūton: Cutting knife technique!" Naruto mirrored him, and her own wind disks hit each of Madara's and blasted them to pieces before heading straight for the Uchiha. He dodged just in time and jumped down to them to avoid getting hit.

Naruto was a lot stronger in wind transformation and grinned teasingly at the frustrated look on Madara's face.

"You shouldn't try and attack me with wind. My element will tear yours down Madara." She taunted.

"Fire is dominant to wind, you should give up right now, Naruto." He answered, they both expected Hashirama to come with some catchy comeback against them both, but he seemed much more interested in his wood wall.

"Wind might make flames burn brighter, but I can do more then just fan your flame." Naruto retorted and made seven clones all of which started making the rasengan.

Madara looked narrow eyed at the technique, he'd never seen anything like that before. It looked like pure wildly rotating chakra in the palm of her hand. He was surprised it didn't tear up her skin from the force.

"Shit..." Muttered Hashirama and clapped his hands together.

"Mokuton: Underground roots technique!" He bellowed, and as the words indicated, roots shot up from underneath all of them. Wrapping tightly around Madara's feet and Naruto jumped along with most of her clones, two got caught but smashed through with their rasengan.

Hashirama was only playing for time and he had gone very still. Naruto realised with a jolt what he was doing.

Shit, he had already learned senjutsu…

She jumped up on a tree while she let her clones distract the others. Madara had blasted through Hashirama's roots and was attacking a clone he thought was the real Naruto.

Hashirama's red markings appeared around his eyes and forehead, while the glowing Naruto was going through the same transformation. Their eyes met at the same time and leapt towards each other.

Their elbows hit one another with a thunderous sound. Both having turned incredibly strong through nature chakra.

"I see you've been training hard Hashirama!" She said grinning widely at him.

"Off course Naruto." He said challengingly.

"Senjutsu… That's old news, Naruto. I've been fighting his skills for years. You would have known if you had stuck around." Muttered Madara from the sideline.

"Well, I'm back now, and I'm not letting you two blow each others heads off!" She growled as Hashirama kicked her in the side. Making her lose her breath for a moment as she flew into a nearby tree.

"What is that?!" Exclaimed Hashirama wide eyed, Madara was looking funny at her as well.

"What are you talking about? The glowing thing? I'm just awesome, that's what!" She shouted back while she got to her feet.

"No! I mean my mokuton is acting funny around you." Said Hashirama and pointed to the tree behind her. Naruto looked back and wanted to hit herself on the head when she realised what he was getting at. The tree was in full bloom behind her.

Apparently it was an apple tree since the fruits was rapidly growing into edible food as she watched. Picking one of the red fruits and taking a bite, she grinned back at Hashirama and Madara who was looking stunned.

"Ah... Right. I'm not sure, but I have a lot of life force in this mode. It makes me heal incredibly fast, it makes me a lot stronger, and all my attacks more potent, it seems to have a funny reaction to living things. I've made furniture sprout branches a few times, you know." She answered while she shrugged, and taking another bite of her apple she threw it away.

"If you boys want to have a nice catching up, then I'm all for it you know. But I was under the impression you both wanted me impaled on your blades a few moments ago. Why don't you stop being so indecisive?" She said putting one hand on her hip. Tilting her had to the side and smiling challenging.

"I have duties to my clan, Naruto." Said Hashirama with a strained voice.

Madara didn't reply, probably to stubborn to agree with the Senju. "I know, and believe it or not, but I do understand. I know neither of you truly want to hurt me, which is why you wont defeat me." She said with a small smile.

"But I'll give you this advice. I haven't shown you anything yet. If you want to defeat me you will have to try a lot harder. If you collaborate, you might just win."

They stirred at her words. And glanced sideways at each other, but looked swiftly away when their eyes met. Madara looked furious at her proposition, while Hashirama looked thoughtful.

"Well… I guess I haven't shown you much of my abilities yet either, Naruto. Madara as well." Said the leader of the Senju clan and got a hard look in his eyes. Madara moved uncertainly from foot to foot, giving the Senju and uneasy glare.

"You think I'm going overboard, Madara? It's you who are underestimating her." He said and moved his hands together. "I'm a sage now, just like you, Naruto. I can feel your power. It's surrounding this whole area with it's potency. You where not boasting earlier when you said neither of us was a match for you." He said looking determined as he gathered more nature energy.

"Your chakra… it's full of life. But more then anything it feels infinitive. You have more chakra then Madara and I combined." He muttered. Madara looked hard at her, as if he was bursting to say something but was holding himself back.

"I can assure you it's not infinitive, but there is a lot of it." Said Naruto and got into fighting position. Madara stiffened while he listened and got in his own stance.

"Senpō mokuton!"

"Susanoo!"

"Summoning no jutsu! "

* * *

On the abandoned lake the remaining fighters stopped in their tracks at the rushing sound coming from the shore. Wide eyed they stared as gigantic figures rose up into the air. Tobirama recognised his brother's wooden golem and Madara's Susanoo. He had problems understanding what the last figure was though.

"Shit..." Muttered Tobirama who was fighting Izuna.

Izuna seemed to be on the same page as him, as they jumped away from each other and started running. This battle was going all out it seemed, witch meant that if they wanted to keep their limbs intact, it was best to get the hell away before they got caught in the crossfire.

"What is the last figure?" Asked Kurou who was running right in front of Tobirama. Looking over his shoulder he took in the creature.

"It looks like a summon. A huge one! A frog or something!" Bellowed Tobirama as he saw the frog take out a gigantic blade. It was larger then Tobirama's house for crying out loud.

Izuna growled but still focused on running rather then attacking for now. "Damn, and the bijū is gone.." Tobirama heard him mutter from ahead of him. He was running with Uchiha Katsu and both seemed ready to attack at any moment.

Looking over at Kurou who seemed very worried as he peeked over his shoulder, Tobirama ran on.

"I never guessed brother would have to go this far..." He muttered as they jumped over a river that ran into the now destroyed lake.

"Never mind that! Focus on getting the hell away! Hashirama-sama is going up against Uchiha Madara!" Shouted Tamotsu who had caught up to them.

"I'm more worried about what Naruto can do." Tobirama growled, but fastened his pace all the same.

* * *

"A frog?" Asked Madara studying the enormous creature in front of him.

"I'm a toad you idiotl!" Shouted Gamakyuo in wrath. "Can't you see the difference? You pinwheel eyed bastard, show some respect for your superiors!" Exclaimed the toad and took out his enormous tantō.

"Should you use those eyes so recklessly, Madara? I thought..." Muttered Naruto concernedly looking over at the Uchiha.

Madara's head tilted to the side, wondering what on earth she could know about the prise for using these eyes.

"I can assure you my eyes are perfectly fine. As I'm now demonstrating." He answered her darkly. Naruto frowned but didn't reply. Hashirama was unsure what this was all about, but refrained from starting up another argument.

"You can still stop this. Go home. Think of what I said. The yonbi is long gone by now. All we're doing is fighting friends." Said Naruto and crouched down so both palms laid flat against Gamakyo's head.

"We've already gone through this Naruto." Said Madara. "It's too late for cold feet now!"

The susanoo raised its blade and swung wide against them.

Naruto shared Kurama's chakra with Gamakyuo and the whole toad lit up in an orange substance while he stopped the swinging weapon with his tantō. The golum ran at the summon intended to punch him.

"Fūton: roaring shock wave!" Naruto shouted and stopped the golum in its track as it fought the wind blast.

Gamakyuo swore loudly as it fought the strength of the susanoo, while Naruto focused on Hashirama.

"Starch Syrup Gun Technuique!" The toad bellowed in anger, and a white thick sluggish thing shot out of it's moth and hit the susanoo square in the face as it was about to strike him with it's other blue glowing blade.

Madara was forced backwards from both the impact and the odd reaction the syrup had to the susano who lost some of it's substance.

The Uchiha looked up just I time to see Naruto making two red glowing arms again, which was helping her make a technique in her right hand. The thing looked at first like the rasengan she'd used earlier, but he then noticed the wind element being put into it. The swirling monster technique was making an awful sound that screeched in his ears as he was stunned into a stand still while the attack was fired.

"Fūton: Rasenshuriken!"

Hashirama shouted as both arms of the golem was blasted off plus a good chunk of it's stomach. Hashirama fell onn his ass as the whole wooden statue shook, but as he fell he still clapped his hands together and used a tehnique neither of the others could hear.

A dragon came out of the wooden troll's neck, and charged at Naruto while Hashirama concentrated on rebuilding his golem.

Gamakyuo jumped high into the air and dodged the mouth of Hashirama's wood attack, while the Susanoo charged and swung his blade at the neck of the snake formed dragon, almost cutting it in two.

Gamakyuo came hurtling down to earth again, landing with one foot on the susanoo's arm, and the other on the body of the dragon, forcing them down together while Naruto jumped off his head.

Hashirama and Madara did the same, meeting in mid air they all slashed their blades.

Hashirama against Naruto, Naruto against Madara and Madara against Hashirama. They all somehow stopped the other's attack.

Madara by gripping Naruto's wrist, Hashirama by sprouting a root from the palm of his hand that wrapped around Madara's kama. And Naruto had a kunai that stopped Hashirama's blade.

They let go simultaneously, and jumped backwards and landed in a triangle formation between the two remaining giants who was still fighting each other.

With a shout they leapt at each other.

* * *

Tobirama was focusing on Izuna, Kurou backing him up while Itama was fighting Katsu together with Tamotsu. The youngest Senju had Katsu backed into a corner while Tamotsu made sure there was no loophole.

In the flight from the large scale battle a mile away, the two Uchiha had gotten separated from the rest of their clan. It was now four against two, and the minority was struggling.

Kurou growled and used water release against the oncoming fire spiral Izuna was attacking them with. The red head was talented in water release and like Tobirama could use it without water nearby, it wasn't as potent as his own, but enough to cause damage.

Seeing that his water attack wouldn't be enough, Tobirmama helped out.

Kurou had been in a terrible mood ever since his sister was knocked out by Naruto, he'd seen it even in the commotion of the fight by the lake, and was using his anger to fight. He was truly powerful, much more so then Tobirama had expected from the guy when he'd first met him. He'd taken down four Uchiha on his own, and bound them with fuinjutsu after making sure his sister stayed safe.

"Come on, Tobirama, let's take this asshole down!" Kurou cried, and together they stormed at Izuna.

* * *

"STOP!" Naruto cried, and interfered Hashirama and Madara's attacks by setting off a resenshuriken in the middle of them all.

The two had been trying to take out the other for the last minute while Naruto had sent Gamakyuo back home.

Nauto stood frozen as she tried to find him. Tried to sense his chakra after it had suddenly flared up before disappearing completely.

Both turned to Naruto, looking as though they were expecting her to give up.

"Madara… your brother… Izuna! I can't sense him anymore!" She cried looking panicked over to the Uchiha.

He froze still like a statue staring back at her, his already pale skin going whiter as he took in her words.

For half a second they all seemed to hold their breath, before Madara turned and shot away faster then either had seen him go.

Hashirama and Naruto looked scared back at each other, and with a nod that Naruto took as a truce, they followed after him.

They arrived to a scene where Madara was bending over a bloody Izuna on the ground, while Katsu was standing in front of them against Tobirama, Itama and Kurou. Someone else was lying unmoving amongst the bushes, but it was impossible to recognise who because of all the leaves.

Madara stared back up at them as they halted behind Kurou. His eyes swirling with furious red mangekyō sharingan. Naruto felt dread turning inside her stomach as Izuna suddenly gasped. It sounded as if he was in an incredible amount of pain. She could barely feel his chakra.

"Madara… let's… Let us stop this." Naruto said while Hashirama nodded wordlessly.

He stepped forwards in front of Tobirama and look intently at Madara.

"You can't beat me, Madara. Let this fighting end, we… We can maybe still save your brother. We have some good healers in our village." Hashirama said looking down at Izuna and then to Madara. Naruto saw his jaw clench and unclench, he was worried about Izuna's state.

Madara seemed lost as he looked from his brother's half conscious body to Hahsirama's firm conviction. Naruto took another step forwards and reached out her hand, silently begging him to take it. Madara came half a step forwards, but then.

"Don't.. No, don't..." Panted Izuna and gasped his brothers hand, blood pourng out of his mouth as he tried to speak.

"Izuna! Please listen to me. We can save you, just… Just please try to understand that it doesn't have to be like this!" Naruto shouted.

If Izuna heard her he didn't show it, since next moment his eyes closed as he succumbed to his pain. Madara and Katsu both shouting at him to stay awake.

Madara looked pained back at Hashirama who had his hand extended, to Naruto who stood next to him with pleading eyes. Gritting his teeth he took a hold of his brother and dropped something that sent dust and vapour everywhere. Naruto felt their chakra signatures raise away at speed, and when the smoke cleared, all three were gone.

_'Shit, shit, shittity shit!'_

Whirling away from the spot the Uchihas had disappeared from, she found her victim and punched Tobirama as hard as she could.

"You idiot! Do you have any idea what you just did?!"

Hashirama restrained her in an instance. Her hands and feet was wrapped with roots as she growled at Tobirama. Itama came over looking confused.

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't do it, it was Kurou you mad woman! And this place isn't for soft hearted people. You should have stayed away if you can't deal with reality." Said Tobirama stonily. Still looking winded from her punch and massaging his jaw.

"Calm down, Naru-" Itama started, but next moment she snapped her restraints with brute strength while growling at Hashirama. The Senju stepped backwards from her, they all had problems cutting over Hahirama's roots even when they used the sharpest of their blades, and here she'd snapped them like threads.

"You just made sure Madara would never trust you again, Hashirama!" She snapped at him with venom.

"He might survive..." Said Hashirama looking dejected. Naruto crossed her hands in front of her and sighed.

"I'm sorry Tobirama… I lost my temper there." Naruto said and looked at the white haired young man who nodded.

"I think you might be right through… Brother, you always said that Izuna had to stay alive if we where ever going to convince the Uchiha..." Muttered Tobirama while looking searchingly at her with interest.

"Madara might see this as a wake up call, Naruto. We might be wrong you know." Said Hashirama hopefully. All around her she could feel the Senju's triumphant feelings. It looked like the winner of this battle was clear.

"This… This will break him. He won't be Madara any more." Said Naruto with gritted teeth. Inside her she felt Kurama move restlessly. His constant furious commentary a background buzzing while she tried to figure out what would come of this. The only thing she really registered was his last grumbling words.

_'I think… We'll have to deal with this now. Naruto, you know what you have to do.'_


	16. Wind Chill

**Chapter fifteen – Wind Chill**

_Our experience of temperature is pretty subjective. Humidity, individual physiology, and even our mood can change our perception of hot and cold temperatures. It's the same with wind chill; the temperature that we normally feel is_ _not the true temperature_ _._

* * *

The horrid weather fitted Hashirama's mood very well. He stood next to the window peeking out and watched as the rain hammered down while the captured Uchiha were being escorted past him and imprisoned.

Tobirama was in charge and executed the task with utmost care and control. As a brown haired man was getting his name and characteristics scribbled down by Itama, the middle Senju brother made sure nothing went wrong. Either with protocol or by the prisoners.

Hashirama watched as the brown haired Uchiha was put into his cell which he would have to share with two others. The man looked grumpy, but less hostile then most of the others.

The whole thing was a depressing task that made Hashirama feel both helpless and hopeful at the same time. This victory had been quite the surprise, and Madara would have problems fighting a war with so few ninjas left in his village.

The helpless feeling hovering inside him stemmed from the thought of Izuna, and how he was doing. Hashirama was begging for the young man to survive.

No one blamed the Uzumaki for his action during the battle, how would he know about the finer points of their strategy? No one had told him, and in retrospect they really should have. Even though Kurou had been the one to actually strike the Uchiha down no one would have blamed him, during a battle you had to go in with all your strength to survive, especially against opponents such as Izuna.

Since they came home Kurou had been of great help, he had put a chakra suppression seal on all of the captives, which made them not only unable to do any proper attacks, but also stopped them from using the Sharingan.

The leader of the Senju wondered how much easier life was in Uzu. They seemed to have found many neat little tricks that saved both time and effort, and couldn't help envying them a bit.

"We might not have captured the yonbi, but we seriously didn't go home empty handed did we?" Said Itama with a wide grin and looked up at Tobirama who gave his younger brother a rare genuine smile and nodded.

"Yes, I don't think there's many soldiers left in the Uchiha village now, we have most of them here." He answered and nodded as an Uchiha got the cloth in front of their eyes removed.

They had all been led blindfolded back to the village so they wouldn't know exactly where they were. For all the captives knew they were close to Wind Country because of all the detours they'd been forced to walk.

Tobirama had his happuri still on even though they were inside the village, a precaution against any suddenly flying objects from the prisoners Hashirama presumed.

Ever since that Naomi girl had drilled her fists into his younger brother's head, his once perfectly symmetrical face had gotten off balance since his nose was now crooked. And when he used the happuri it became even more pronounced. On the other hand the happuri did cover up his scar, since it was the head protector getting dug into his skin that had caused him the injury in the first place.

Tobirama glared hard as one of the prisoners did something unexpected, but it turned out she was only restless from having to stand still for so long. "Hey, Senju dude, do you know anything about Izuna-san yet?" Asked the brown haired man from his prison cell. Tobirama ignored him but Hashirama went over.

"No, I'm afraid not, we're all hoping he'll be alright though." He said and leaned against a stone column while crossing his arms in front of him. Since all these Uchiha were here Hashirama saw it as an opportunity to get to know them a little better. Talking as capturer and prisoners wasn't the best scenario, but better than nothing.

Itama and three Uchiha snorted simultaneously, Hashirama looked hard at his youngest brother who hurriedly started scribbling again.

"Sure.. And my brother was Senju Suoma." Answered the prisoner and rolled his eyes.

"What's your name?" Asked Hashirama curiously, ignoring the sarcastic comment.

"Uchiha Sora." He answered while his cell mate gave his clan member a dirty look for talking to Hashirama.

"Well, I promise to give you an update about Izuna as soon as I know anything, Sora-san." Hashirama promised, while Tobirama sent him a frustrated look, clearly updating prisoners about clan members wasn't on his own agenda.

"So who did it? Was it that bastard?" Asked Sora and gestured towards Tobirama. "He always goes after Izuna-san." He muttered, talking more to his clan than to Hashirama.

"No it wasn't Tobirama, but he witnessed it. I wasn't there myself though, so I don't know exactly what happened. As I'm sure you know we have wanted to sort out an alliance with you and the rest of your clan for a while now. So we all have tried not to harm Madara or Izuna during our battles."

Sora looked sceptically back at him along with ten other Uchiha while Tobirama rolled his eyes and started ignoring his brother completely.

"I'm not saying we haven't fought our hardest, quite the contrary. Izuna is very strong and taking him anything less then serious is asking to get killed. What I'm saying is that we never wished for this to happen. In fact, I wish we could all just stop this war. Things have gone too far. Too destructive. I'm shuddering to think what will happen when the other clans start attacking us because of the damage that's been done during this endless war. We're less then half of the number we used to be." Muttered Hashirama and shook his head mournfully, trying to get the image of his dead family members out of his head.

Sora didn't reply at once, but his cellmate did. "So you just... want us to forget?" he sneered and looked hatefully at all the Senjus in the room.

"That would be impossible and this is something we should never forget. It will make us more appreciative of peace if we ever see it." Answered Hashirama annoyed at the Uchiha.

"What about Naruto-chan? I saw her attack you, but I never heard what happened after. She was fighting you right?" Said Sora and looked very pleased about it.

"Namikaze Naruto fought both my brother and your leader, Uchiha-san." Snapped Tobirama from his location across the room. His ignorance of them seemed to have already come to an end, he never had been good at keeping his curiosity in check.

"I'm sure she would side with us in an instance." Said Sora and looked mockingly at Tobirama, clearly trying to rile him up. He would be disappointed though, since the only ones who got Tobirama to loose his composure were his brothers.

"I doubt that!" Exclaimed Itama and looked angrily up from his notes. "She attacked Uchiha for me once, years ago a bunch of you cornered me in the woods and she saved me. Stabbed one of you even." he stated with a smug smile as he watched the confusion on Sora's face.

One of the prisoners suddenly turned towards them. "Oh that? Yes, that was me. I thought she was a Senju back then." Piped an older man from the line who still had his eyes blindfolded. "I think that was more because she didn't understand who we were though. All she saw that night was a brat getting chased by us, anyone would have reacted similar if they didn't know any better."

Itama scowled and went back to his scribbling.

"I doubt Naruto is taking any side in this. She, just like I, want this war to end." Hashirama said to them all, his face set and determined as the ones who could see watched him.

"Namikaze-san is neutral in this, there is little I understand about that girl, but __that__ I know." Muttered Tobirama looking back at the line of Uchiha again.

"Go to hell, Tobirama." Said one of the prisoners in Sora's cell.

Hashirama looked back out of the window again, the weather was truly terrible today, it felt like a bad omen. He could only hope tomorrow would be better.

* * *

With her head resting against the rock of the cave wall, Naruto inhaled and exhaled at a slow pace. For as long as she could remember she'd had problems focusing. So many thoughts and impulses always running through her head at every waking moment. Kurama's chakra didn't help any either, it made her restless and hyper and focus was always what she struggled with the most.

Only in very serious and dangerous situations did she truly manage to keep her mind on one singular thing. Like during a battle.

What she was trying to focusing on now however, was not life threatening.

Not yet.

Kurama was ranting off about how things were happening too early. That Izuna shouldn't have fallen in battle for a few more years, and that time was seriously fucked up by now.

Naruto was struggling with a different, but related problem.

Izuna… Madara… Uchiha brothers.

Why did they have to be so fucking attached it was enough to drive them insane when they lost someone?

Naruto though of herself as a very compassionate and loving person, she easily started caring and was very loyal to those she cherished. Yet she didn't go off the handle every time she lost someone.

But Madara would. He truly would go off the sanity wagon and tumble down the path of the mad and furious souls that no longer could see the light. Just like Sasuke… Damn take that Indra.

She started unwrapping the bandage on her right hand and studied the white circle engraved into her skin. It wasn't as clear as when she'd first gotten it back in her time line. During the fight with Uchiha Madara, and then against Kaguya she had used the yang mark a lot. It had waned in colour afterwards, becoming a little more transparent.

She took that as a sign the power lent to her from the old dude was going away. The more she used, the less there was left. Whenever she found Black Zetsu she'd need as much as possible to seal him. That's the reason she'd refrained from using it up until now, even when she'd wandered close to a battlefield and come across people who'd desperately needed it. She'd gone by and only tried to help the traditional way whenever she could.

But Izuna… Could she even help him? Was he still alive? He had looked half dead already when they left after the battle, and that was yesterday, who knew what had happened since.

As much as she hated to think like this, she would need to consider if he was worth the price.

Kurama kept saying over and over that the ink blotch gone was worth more then Izuna alive.

If Izuna stayed alive, and black Zetsu also stayed alive because she didn't have enough power, than maybe Madara would be spared and not go insane. On the other hand it would only be a matter of time before he found another reincarnation to twist and manipulate into doing his deed.

Naruto had been alive to see the fourth shinobi war, and what would come of Black Zetsu just waiting in the shadows?

People would continue to die, and Naruto felt she couldn't be so selfish to only think of _her_ friend and _her_ family. What about those who came later? What if Black Zetsu got his claws into Sasuke next time because of Naruto hindering Zetsu from getting Madara… And she was stuck here, she couldn't go back to help.

Looking out of the opening Naruto observed the pouring rain dripping into the cave. Her feet were soaked but she couldn't be bothered to move. It was such a horrible day, such a horrible decision.

She hated thinking it, but Kurama was probably right.

Maybe Izuna just wasn't worth it.

* * *

Madara was hurrying from the village well with a bucket full of water. He was sweating and pale but the rain washed all traces of it away.

It vaguely registered to him that Katsu nodded as he ran past through the unusually silent streets to get back to his brother. Madara didn't give any sign of having noticed him. His older friend had left the two brothers be an hour earlier, and left from Izuna's sick bed after Madara had snapped at him for the tenth time.

The rain was still poring down, but not as badly as it had done earlier in the day, it was cloudy and the sky gave a white, greyish tone to everything. It was so fucking fitting to how he was feeling. Like crying.

He didn't have any patience for what was going on with the village right now, all he could focus on was his little brother, and how deathly wounded he was.

Getting through the door and into into the room where he'd placed Izuna, Madara hurried up to him. He dropped the bucket next to the foot of the mattress in the middle of the room and lifted up the warm, wet cloth he'd put on Izuna earlier. Dipping it in the cool water he started washing away sweat from his brother's forehead and neck.

It was getting worse. Not only was he wounded but he was now burning up. Every single competent medic had also been captured during the battle. The civilian doctor had been by yesterday only to wrap Izuna in bandages, said there was nothing he could do, before Madara had thrown him out. Literately.

In the back of his mind he was sorry for having abandoned his ninjas to the Senju during the battle. It was very clear by now that they wouldn't return. For the moment Katsu took care of the ten worried civilians in the village and the seventeen guards who'd remained behind the barrier while the rest had gone out.

The Uchiha village consisted of thirty people in total now… Soon it might only be twenty nine.

He didn't know what to do anymore, he felt like losing it completely and smash everything in his path, but he didn't have the time. Madara had only time to take care of his brother now, nothing else mattered.

As he washed the cloth of sweat in the water, and placed the cloth back on Izuna's forehead he felt something behind him. A presence he couldn't believe he'd missed up until now, since the new arrival was clearly by the window behind him already.

"I know you're there, and I have no time or energy to waste listening to your bullshit. Get out." Madara growled as he tried to change his brothers bandages. He was writhing and moaning, clearly attempting to fight Madara off as if he was hurting him.

"Calm down Izuna, I'm helping you. I wont let you die, brother. You can't… die.." He muttered in a low voice while Izuna's eyelids twitched.

Madara had no idea if his brother was so sick and injured he couldn't even hear him.

"I'm so very sorry for you loss, Madara-san." Croaked the black shadow from behind Madara. He had no idea how that thing got through the barrier, it should have been impossible.

"He isn't dead. I'm not letting him. How the hell did you get in here?" He growled and peeked over his shoulder to the shape. It was the first time he'd really seen it. He was tall like a man, and clearly visible in the cold afternoon light from the cloudy sky outside.

"I came because I though you might be a little more understanding by now. And that barrier only works on certain things. Humans being is one of them, as you've already noticed I'm not of the same species as you are."

Madara sneered and turned his back to the creature to try and calm Izuna down. "Figures. Get out or get killed, your choice."

"I'd like to tell you my story first Madara-san."

"You should probably have heard somewhere by now that I'm known for my very short temper, not my patience. Get out."

"I know that, but I also know you are a man that doesn't act irrationally. You are a very good strategist, and always need to know as much about a situation as possible. Why would you not hear me out? Because I don't look right? When has appearance truly mattered in right and wrong before? The sage of the six paths was born with two horns on his forehead. It didn't stop him from working for the greater good. And it wont stop me either." He said and took a step forwards, Madara stood tense, clutching at his knife he'd hurriedly taken out of his pocket when he'd first noticed the creep.

"Don't come any closer. I guarantee I'll slaughter you if you step one foot nearer to my brother." he growled and sent a murderous glance over his shoulder.

The shadow stayed still and raised his hands in the air, as if surrendering. But Madara was pretty certain he had far from given up his advances. "I would never hurt your brother Madara-san. It's not my fault he is in this condition now is it? I think that blame lies more on the Senju, and even that Namikaze for riling up everyone earlier. Hadn't she come you wouldn't have gotten separated from your brother now would you? So many fights you've had with that infected Senju clan, and the moment she gets involved. Well… Look what happened…" He said and indicated with his hand in the direction of Izuna, making Madara bite his tongue by accident when he gritted his teeth in anger.

"The reason I came is to explain what is going on, and what has happened up until now. At least I can be objective, since I was just an observer of the events that led to the wars between Indra and Ashura. You only have to listen Madara-san. Nothing more." he said as Madara turned back to Izuna with trembling hands. Torn between attacking and staying as a shield between that thing and his brother.

"Indra was a genius, a true prodigy who from his first day in this world showed his brilliancy. He could talk after only a month. He could walk after four months, and he was wise and thirsty for knowledge. Wishing to follow in his fathers footsteps. I am sure Naruto has told you that I'm a creation of Kaguya, which I won't deny. But the same can be told of Hagoromo and Hamura. We were brothers in a sense. And even though I didn't have the power they did, I also wanted to end the terror regime Kaguya had created." Black Zetsu croaked.

"It was Ashura who destroyed this balance. He was never talented as a child. It took him a whole year to say his first word. Always many steps behind his older brother who excelled in anything he put his mind to. As they grew older Ashura became jealous, but unlike Indra, who enjoyed peace and quiet, Ashura liked to be __seen.__ He enjoyed attention and wanted to be powerful enough to be admired by those he called his friends. Prove them wrong and show what he was made of. Ashura was always good with words you know... It was the only thing he could do better than Indra, who was in many ways like a monk, searching for the truth wherever he went." He continued explaining, and Madara fond himself curious despite the circumstances. What was it about this creature that always held his attention?

"It was after they both had gotten married Indra first noticed how far gone Ashura had become. He was feeding his father with lies. Telling him that everyone should have powers so that no one would become inferior. He made it sound like it was a solution that would create equality and therefore peace, but the truth is that the world has never been as peaceful as it was when Hagoromo still held all the power. When he gave his legacy to Ashura to preach and share with the people Indra noticed the problem at once." Black Zetsu paused for a moment, even exhaled a mournful sigh that spoke volumes of loss and frustration.

"Humans are greedy. They fight against one another and aren't wise enough to use chakra the way Ashura was claiming it would be used. Of course Ashura just didn't want his brother to inherit everything. Jealous and angry as he was at his own limitations growing up. Indra tried to protect the people, but Ashura was set in his way. By leeching of others and his family he eventually got strong enough to challenge his older brother. That's how the brother war started, Madara-san." Zetsu said to the now spellbound Madara.

He was trying with all his might to block him out, but his traitorous ears still listened intently. Wanting to know even though he knew Zetsu must be the one twisting the story to fit his goals.

"After they ended up killing each other their souls still remained on this earth. Inhabiting new descendant after new descendant of their respective lines. I've been keeping watch since, trying to help Indra's descendant, but as I said before; I'm no sage. I can't do what my brothers could. All I could do was tell the truth. Tell you, Madara-san, what you need to know. How to stop your brother and the Namikaze creature once and for all." He paused as Madara clenched his fists so the knuckles turned white.

"As I indicated last time Naruto wasn't born. She was created. Ashura had the power of Hogormo's body, and was blessed with long life even before he manipulated power out of everyone he met. And twelve years ago something that's never happened before took place. I already knew where Ashura was, I think you can guess for yourself too. Indra always loved his little brother, wanting to save him from himself. Every descendant have felt the kinship between them." Zetsu explained looking curiously at Madara.

"Hashirama..." Muttered the Uchiha dazedly.

Zetsu nodded.

"And when Naruto was created she came to this world in the blink of an eye. One moment she wasn't there, and then she was. Her soul was also identical to that which inhabits Senju Hashirama. Two souls should never be in two places at once. I thought that was impossible until I felt her existence. She was powerful too, more powerful then you've ever imagined. Even in the body of a fragile looking six year old girl. It was Asuhra… I knew it… Or Kaguya and Ashura who from the beyond is trying to manipulate you. Cage you before you reach your potential which waits within you. Ashura was always good at getting his way." Zetsu told him and came closer.

This time Madara didn't tell him to stay back.

"She's lying to you. Namikaze is trying to break your will. Cage you with words of peace and harmony, when what she truly wants, and it is only a matter of time before Hashirama does as well, is dominance. She knows he is her twin, Hashirama and Naruto are in essence the same being. Disguised by their appearance. She's taking her time, waiting until you're so secure you forget your blade at home, and then she'll strike, stab you in the back. I know it, just like Ashura. Maybe like her creator she will attempt to steal your power, she can blend people's chakra, but also take it." Hissed the shadow now only two steps away.

Madara was shaking. It was not true. It couldn't be. Naruto… Naruto… Had so many secrets… She was so kind… She never killed, always wanted the best for everyone…She was good with words, or more accurately she was good at convincing people, just like Hashirama. Hadn't he once thought the two were like long lost twins? Hadn't she said she loved Hashirama like her own brother?

He was breathing hard as he clutched his brothers now unmoving hand.

"You have to help me, Madara. You have the clearest eyes I've seen in the Uchiha since Indra himself. I'm asking you, even though I know this most pain you greatly, to aid me. To not be fooled and to fight for your family. For Indra's descendants. The rightful heir to the power of the six paths. In your hands the world would be at peace. You're wise enough to use it with care. To make sure it isn't abused and leads to war and suffering."

Madara breathed once very deeply, and slowly got to his feet. "The Senju might be traitorous, and Naruto might be from fucking Mars, it wouldn't surprise me anymore. You'd be right to say that humans are incapable of living in peace, and that happiness is a fleeting thing amongst an ocean of despair and anguish. But I'll tell you, and I wont repeat myself." Madara said harshly and clutched the knife in his hand.

"Get. Out."

* * *

Kurou was never the type of person to talk about emotions. Even with his family he'd been and always would be a private person.

While Mito had seemed to be somewhat of the same sort growing up, she also was more open about her opinions to those close to her. Which was why she was rambling at full pace about Namikaze Naruto and all the shit she had coming for her after the girl's actions the other day.

"I don't understand what's gotten into her. Naruto is not like this, and knocking me out? I thought I knew her, Kurou, I really did. She slept on our couch for two years and then she goes doing something like this? And fighting Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. I didn't believe it at first, but seeing the bruise she left on Tobirama'a jaw... What if it had been you? Had she hit you if she knew you were the one who defeated that Uchiha brat?"

"He's my age you know.." Kurou muttered half interested.

He didn't feel much about his actions on the battlefield, after all he'd ended up on the Senju's side of the war, it was only natural to fight back when attacked. And fight back he had been forced to, Izuna had been a powerhouse the day before. It had taken him and Tobirama fighting together to get the upper hand, Kurou would never have won hadn't Tobirama been there. Kurou then realised Mito was still talking by the window. She was studying the dark rain filled clouds as she blabbered away.

"… but she hit him because she thought __he__ was the one who killed him. I understand that she was friends with that Madara guy, but it she's never hurt anyone for killing any of the other Uchiha before. I mean, she was friendly with Hashirama after he told her he killed the Uchiha leader. It's really odd, maybe they put her under a genutsu when she was by their village, or maybe she had a crush on Izuna. Naruto did say they sparred..."

Kurou sighed and looked out of the window too. The rain was still coming down and made the earth outside muddy and grimy looking. Watching as the rain carried away a forgotten shuriken down the hill Kurou wondered idly when the sun would come out again.

This dreary weather made all of them worried and restless.

* * *

Izuna was in pain, he was going in and out of consciousness as he lay on his back. Where he currently was he couldn't tell. If it was on the battle field, a prison or in his own bed didn't matter.

All he knew was that his brother was with him, and that he was dying.

He groaned as fingers touched his wounded side.

Fuck, his brother must be trying to change his bandage again. Couldn't Madara just let him rest? Let him be and die without dragging out the pain? Hissing as his hands moved over the wound again he cursed aloud, trying to tell him it was pointless.

Izuna wondered what he would do without his big bro wherever he was going, but at least it might be less painful than this.

_'How long would he have to wait? Would it be better on the other side? Was he going to hell or heaven?'_

Maybe his mum and dad would be there, and his siblings… He would like to see them again. Would it be painful? Death surely had to be better… Better… Strangely enough It was getting better.

Izuna didn't know what exactly happened, what Madara had done, but he was starting to feel better.

Or maybe he was finally dying.

If this was death though, it meant at least his pain was going away. On the other hand it didn't feel right. He felt warm, so very warm and full of life. Was death supposed to do that? The corpses was always so cold when they carried them away.

He opened his eyes to darkness except a stream of light from the moon filtering through the window. It looked cloudy but clear and the moon shone brightly in contrast to the black sky.

Someone was standing over him, touching the wound that was rapidly healing. Staring up he saw that it wasn't his big bro, but Namikaze Naruto.

He looked up into her beautiful sad face which seemed concerned and haunted. Her blue eyes looking tired and strained as she met his. The odd whisker marks seemed more pronounced then he remembered, and her golden hair seemed to be lit up unearthly.

For a moment he wondered if she was an angel. An angel who'd been trying to save them for years, disguised as a homeless wanderer. An angel of peace and warmth.

When he opened his mouth to exclaim his confusion, she put a finger to her lips and pointed to something on the other side of him. Looking in the indicated direction he saw his brother lying next to the mattress deeply asleep. He lay sideways on the hard floor, his head propped up against his own arm as he slept on.

Izuna felt better with every passing moment Naruto was touching him, like she was not only healing him, but lightning him up inside somehow. For a few short seconds she kept her hand there, and Izuna could only feel calm and at peace as he watched her save him.

"There." She said too soon and removed her hand. Instantly he missed the warmth, but he still felt some of it lingering in his side.

"You should be just find now." The blonde whispered and took a hold of the covers which had been pushed down to his waist, and covered him up again.

"How? I thought I was going to die." He whispered back.

"You should have. But I decided you were needed alive. Your clan needs you, and so does Madara." Naruto answered and looked sadly over at his brother. Izuna couldn't help but wonder if she loved him the way his brother loved her. She seemed so sad when she looked at Madara.

"But I didn't do this without expecting some sort of repayment, Izuna." She added, looking back at him with furrowed brows. Her face suddenly turning determined as she met his eyes.

Izuna was a little surprised, she'd always done things for both the Uchiha and Senju selflessly. It was the first time he'd ever heard of her wanting anything in return, so he nodded.

"I want you to hear you brother out. I want you to really listen to what he feels about the alliance with the Senju. I want you to hear his dream. All of it. And while you listen, I want you to try with everything you got to keep an open mind. To forget the past, and imagine that you're a seven year old child who exist in his dream. Who can live and grow up in that dream. When you've heard him out I want you to make up your mind. I won't force it of course, but I want you to wait and see if your feelings about an alliance hasn't changed." She whispered, rapidly growing tired again.

Izuna frowned, he'd heard that bullshit before, Hashirama kept talking about it during battles, but his family, his friends his-

"An open mind, Izuna. As payment for saving your life, you at least have to make the effort." She pressed on in a low voice.

Resentfully he nodded, and next moment she was gone, the curtains blowing as if a breeze had just passed through the open window.

* * *

Madara woke up with a gasp. Sweat was pouring down his forehead from the livid nightmare, the horrid vision of burying Izuna.

Only to be met with said person curious face sitting up and looking at him.

"I-Izuna? You're fine? I was dreaming, I thought you..." He trailed off more confused then ever.

"Died." Finished Izuna while nodding.

"Am I dead too?" Madara asked curiously.

Izuna actually laughed at that and shook his head. "No big bro, not that easy I'm afraid. I was healed by a blonde angel last night." He said cheekily and smiled with all teeth showing.

Madara didn't think this made any more sense then what he previously assumed. "Angel? What are you talking about? Healed? All of our competent healers were captured in the battle against the Senju. And none of them are blo-" He stopped suddenly, his eyes growing wide as he heard his own words.

"N-Naruto was here? When? She can heal?" Madara asked astounded, leaning forwards on his hands towards his miraculously alive brother. He wanted to fucking cry in relief.

"It seems so, but I've never experienced iryō ninjutsu like that in my life. There was no green glowing chakra, she just… regenerated me or... something..." Izuna muttered thoughtfully.

"I felt warm... At first I was sure I'd died and that she was an angel. I can still feel it, whatever she did. It feels like she has put some light in me that warms me from the inside out." He said and peeked mischievously over at his brother's tired and worn face.

"I might have fallen a little in love with her myself, big bro. Tread carefully, or I might just snap her up from under your nose." He taunted to the suddenly grumpy Uchiha.

"Why didn't she wake me? Why didn't you?" He asked instead of taking the bait.

"Naruto indicated she wanted you to sleep. Like the rest of us she seems to think you need more of it, big bro."

"And she just waltzed in here and healed you, then left?" Madara said getting irritated she hadn't at least left a note or something.

Well, leaving Izuna alive was just as effective when it came to delivering messages.

"She had one condition for healing me though. Not much of an ultimatum, seeing as she had already healed me. Anyway, I've been awake ever since and pondered over her request… In short; Naruto wants me to hear you out. To really listen and then make up my mind about this alliance thing after I've heard everything you have to say. She was insisting I tried to keep an open mind." He paused and looked down at his hands.

"I've decided to give it a go. Try and forget the past and attempt to think like she does. About the future, about better times… I can't forget our dead though, I should have been one of them myself by now, but I'll try not to be so damn stubborn about the subject for today. So you better start, big bro. It's already noon, I'll give you until midnight to change my mind." Izuna said and crossed his hands in front of him with an expecting expression.

Madara wondered if this was his way of trying to become objective. Attempt to think outside of his own situation.

Realizing what this was, and feeling lighter and more refreshed then he'd done in years, Madara smiled.

Getting comfortable he started telling of his meeting with Hashirama by the creek, and then Naruto on the mountain, and the dream they'd shared together while skipping rocks across the water.

* * *

The entire Senju guard stood waiting out on the rocky fields. It was two weeks since the last battle, and his scouts had informed him that Madara was heading for the Senju village. Unfortunately Tobirama had overheard, and now the whole guard was waiting for him.

It was a beautiful day, not too cold and not too warm, perfect if it hadn't been for the fight looming in the air.

Hashirama hadn't grabbed his chokutō yet, he was a firm believer in never starting a discussion looking ready to strike down the person you're talking to.

He hoped and prayed to the sage of the six paths that Madara would change his mind, that he would agree to the alliance. How much choice did he have? They had imprisoned almost all of the Uchiha clan by now, only the civilians, Madara, Katsu and _maybe_ Izuna, was left free of the main fighters.

"There he comes." He heard Tobirama say pointing towards the cliff side where true enough, Madara alone was walking towards them.

"Izuna isn't with him..." Muttered Itama on Hashirama's other side.

"I noticed." Said Tobirama sarcastically. Everyone followed as one of the last free Uchiha members came towards them, he was dressed for battle, his kama already out.

Hashirama swallowed.

"Where is Izuna?" Asked Tobirama aloud.

Madara didn't answer, he looked conflicted and tense.

"Madara, we can have peace. Will you not agree to the alliance?" Hashirama asked as Madara halted a good fifteen steps away from them.

Madara still didn't speak, instead he lifted up his blade. His eyes hard and storming as they whirled red. Hashirama and Madara stared into each other's eyes, black against red, Senju against Uchiha.

_'Why wasn't he attacking?'_

Madara took a deep breath, and dropped his kama so the metal of his blade rang out through the destroyed landscape when it clashed against the hard surface.

"I guess… We can come to an agreement." Said Madara as his eyes turned back to it's dark normal colour.

Hashirama barely believed him. His blood was pumping in his ears as if he was in the middle of a fight, and he had frozen in shock and happiness.

"This isn't a trap, is it, Madara? Where is Izuna? You didn't answer me." Said Tobirama while holding his arm out, stopping his older brother from skipping across the field singing his praise.

"Izuna… Is fine. No thanks to you though. Naruto saved him just in time." Madara answered softly.

"She asked him to hear me out about the alliance, since he also is a leader of the Uchiha clan my brother needed to agree." He continued and walked towards the Senju soldiers.

"He was reluctant, but eventually agreed with it. He can see there might be better days for us if we stop this war while there still is someone worth protecting. Enough fighting." He said bitterly as he stopped in front of Hashirama and reached out his hand.

Hashirama's smile was so wide even Tobirama had problems keeping a stern face.

The Senju leader took Madara's hand eagerly and shook it. "Thank you Madara! I'm so happy to hear Izuna will be fine. But more then anything I'm glad we can stop now. I'm tired, aren't you?" Asked Hashirama still beaming like the sun to Madara who looked exhausted back, but with eyes a little brighter than they had been years.

"Yes… I've heard I'm in dire need of some sleep myself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so very much for taking the time to read! 
> 
> About black Zetsu and Madara not killing him: I've taken some liberties in this story, like Naruto being a girl, her getting thrown back in time, and the third is Zetsu having a very good ability to make people listen when he wants them to. Look at it as a technique that's hard to break out of. In the manga he seems able to fool just about anyone, so it's not that much of a stretch is it?
> 
> Happuri: The type of forehead protector Tobirama and Yamato wear with their uniform.
> 
> Please forgive any grammar mistakes, english is unfortunately not my native language.


	17. Equinox

**Chapter sixteen - Equinox**

_An_ _equinox is an astronomical event in which the_ _plane_ _of the Ea_ _rth's_ _equator_ _passes the center of the Sun, making night and day of approximately equal length all over the planet. The equinoxes are the only times when the_ _solar terminator_ _(the "edge" between night_ _and day) is perpendicular to the equator. As a result, the northern and southern_ _hemispheres_ _are equally illuminated. An almost perfect balance of day and night._

* * *

Mito and Kurou stood on each end of two lines of people. Each of them seeing one person at a time to remove the chakra suppression seal Kurou had placed on them when they first had been captured. Both siblings wore serious expressions as they worked, but Tobirama knew for a fact they disliked the whole ordeal, and looked very tense as they laboured.

Tobirama looked over at the Uchiha standing next to his brother with one hand on his hip as he watched with hawk eyes as the proses was going according to agreement.

It was three days since they had come to an agreement with Uchiha Madara and his brother Uchiha Izuna, but they needed to make sure this wasn't a trap, which was the reason their Uchiha prisoners had not been released before now.

Madara had showed up alone earlier in the day, Izuna still not trusting the Senju to show his face, even if Madara claimed he was the one who ordered him to stay home.

The prisoners was staying calm for now. Hashirama had gone down to them the same evening as Madara had agreed to the alliance and told them about Izuna and their leader's decision.

Tobirama was a bit surprised by their reaction to the news. Some had acted exactly as he had suspected they would, with shouts and curses flying towards them. What had surprised him however was the quiet ones, which was an unexpected high number.

In total they had captured forty two Uchihas, and about twenty of them had looked more or less hopeful at the news. Maybe they just wanted to get out and that was the reason they seemed hopeful, but it might be that more of the sharingan wielders were open for the alliance then Tobirama first thought.

He watched as Uchiha Sora walked up to Kurou and got his seal removed. He had been one of the captives who'd remained silent during the news.

As Hashirama had explained things that day, Tobirama had watched as Sora's shoulders slumped as he leaned back against the stone wall of his cell. The Senju had the impression he was feeling relieved as a calm expression crossed his features, it had been somewhat comforting for Tobirama to watch.

Madara turned to look at the Senju leader with an unreadable expression, and Tobirama regretting not staying closer so he could overhear what he said to his brother.

Hashirama had been in such high spirit lately it was infecting the whole village. Especially Itama who had originally been opposed to the alliance, but relieved that the war might _finally_ be over.

The Uchiha and Senju leaders were now discussing something in private, Madara looking serious while Hashirama was shaking his head. As Hashirama said something Tobirama noticed as their ex-enemy's facade cracked a bit as a look of surprise rose up his face.

Watching as they interacted he was contemplating walking over to quench his nerves and curiosity, but stayed in place as Madara looked back to his clan instead of continuing their conversation. The infuriating expressionless face back in place.

Tobirama couldn't really move from where he stood, this his post in case a battle broke out. They needed to cover all bases.

The whole area was unusually quiet despite the high number of people. No metal clanking, no shouting, no ninjutsu surges. It felt odd to be so close to their enemy without these sounds rushing around on all sides. It was enough to unnerve most of them, both Senju and Uchiha.

The calmest by far was Madara and Hashirama, and probably Tobirama himself, but that was most for show. He knew his brother too well not to see the way his jaw was set.

His brother was on full guard right now. As expected since the Uchihas were within the Senju village boarders getting their seal removed.

This was an hour that could make or break their fresh alliance, and a huge risk to take place here of all places.

It was done on Hashirama's insistence, he had somehow convinced them it was an act of trust, to show their clans were no longer on opposite sides but united. Looking at the silent but uneasy released Uchihas Tobirama couldn't find a hint of trust within himself, only a few weeks ago they had been fighting for their lives. It felt premature to let them inside their village. The hateful glares and whispers buzzing all about them was impossible to miss.

Mito started removing the seal on the last prisoner, just as Kurou finished with his last Uchiha. The sun was high in the sky burning their necks and the Uzumaki looked tired and worn, their eyes met and he started walking towards Tobirama.

"Good job, Kurou. I don't know what we would have done without you two here to make things go smoothly." He said as the red head came up next to him while the last captive was freed.

Kurou only nodded as the gathering turned deadly silent.

On the opposite side of the gathering they watched as Hashirama and Madara peeked at each other and with a sigh Madara stepped towards his clan and got all of their attention.

"Izuna and I have agreed to an alliance with the Senju. Since you all got captured your vote was hard to get in the matter, and we went ahead without your consent. This has been discussed a lot over the last year, and I know a lot of you are opposed to this, but I have secured your freedom by this act, and we have agreed that there will be a merge between our clans to secure a better future. We will start conversing to agree on what this will entail." He said in a sure but monotone voice, the only thing moving his mouth as his eyes looked coldly on their reaction, Uchiha and Senju alike. It was the same expression he got when things were serious and there was no room for discussion.

Tobirama had heard him talk like this during their battles. It was so different compared to the way Hashirama talked in similar situation, he became passionate and opinionated, while Madara became calm and stoic.

Many of the Uchihas started shifting, but no one said a word as Madara turned towards the direction of the exit. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Hashirama." He said and looked over at the tall man standing with a small smile despite himself.

"Yes, Madara. I look forwards to it. Outside your village, right?" He said for everyone to hear. Tobirama felt very uneasy about their agreement, but again it was this horrid trust exercise to show camaraderie and cooperation. He and Hashirama would be going alone… It was a suicide mission but still crucial.

With a nod the Uchiha leader led his ninjas out of the village, all deadly silent as they looked wide eyed around. Not a single one had ever been here before, and Tobirama was sure they were comparing it to their own village.

"Why do they have to go so close to the Uchiha village? It isn't safe." Wondered Tamotsu who was leaning on his crutch. He had injured his left arm and left leg in his battle against Katsu. At first Tobirama had been sure he'd gotten killed when they found him soaked in blood in the bushes, but he was steadily recovering. Even though his leg would never preform as it had a month ago ever again.

Kurou looked over at the Senju guard and pointed upwards. "I think he said something about trusting our allies." He answered tiredly. The Uzumaki looked a bit pale as the last Uchiha filed out of sight.

"Still… Wouldn't surprise me if we got shot at from the gates. I don't trust them." Added Tobirama while he mused over all the different outcome of the next day's excursion.

Tamotsu was studying the white and red haired young men next to him and wobbled closer on his crutch. "You okay, Kurou?" Asked Tamotsu studying his face closely.

Kurou shrugged. "Yes, it's just my nerves getting the better of me, and removing all those seals so quickly took a lot of chakra." He said and ran a hand through his short red hair.

Mito and Hashirama came back after ten minutes with a few of the guards who'd seen the Uchihas out. By then Kurou had time to go over the details of the chakra suppression removal technique. It fascinated Tobirama greatly and he made sure to make mental notes for his own use later.

"Everything in order?" Asked Tobirama, already knowing the answer but feeling he had to ask.

"Yes, everything went off without a hitch as far as I know." Answered Hashirama and looked over at Kurou. "You look a bit pale. Maybe you should sit down? We all have been on high alert for a while today, the mental exhaustion alone is enough for me to want to go to bed early." He said and grinned reassuringly at the youngest Uzumaki.

"I think I will do just that. I'll take a nap, see you later." Answered Kurou, and his sister who looked just as worn out went with him towards the house they still loaned.

The members of the Senju clan soon split up as well, while Tobirama and Hashirama walked together towards their house.

"So… We're starting. The alliance might be realised, I can't believe you actually got your way, brother." the youngest said and smiled crookedly up at Hashirama. The grin that widened on his face was filled with laugher and happiness as they walked up to their door.

"I can barely believe it myself, Tobi. It's amazing if we can actually pull this off." He replied and opened the front door and was met instantly by Itama.

He hadn't been allowed to be present at the release, but he still seemed to know most of what had gone down already. The moment they put a foot inside he started talking their ears off about how nervous he'd been, and it became apparent that he must have been spying.

After Tobirama had given him an earful about his rule breach, they sat down together around the kitchen table while Itama continued to half heartedly apologize.

"Just don't do it again, you hear me? Things could have gone a lot worse then they did, and I've told you before you need to follow the rules." The white haired man finished and took the cup of tea Hashirama was handing him.

Itama was now quite grumpy about being put in his place, but he needed to learn his restrictions. Ever since their father died he'd been very disobedient, it might prove fatal if he didn't start listening.

"So what were you and Madara discussing during the release?" Asked Tobirama after a long sip, ignoring his younger brother fuming in the seat next to his own.

"Oh, just a little about tomorrow. We'll have to leave tonight to make it on time, and he mentioned that he'd get us some food." He said and shrugged. Tobirama continued looking at him, wordlessly making him continue talking.

"Madara was also wondering about Naruto, he mentioned that she could get us through the barrier around his village for the day like Mito did here, but you know we don't know where she is, so that's impossible. At least if she doesn't turn up miraculously again." He said and picked up his cup of tea.

"Why was he surprised?" Tobirama asked when Hashirama didn't let on more. The oldest brother's eyebrows rose and he chuckled.

"I swear, sometimes I think you're too observant, Tobi. Madara asked if Mito could get through somehow, but I told him that even though Naruto stole the barrier seal from her, it didn't mean Mito could get through the barrier." He said and smiled back at Tobirama. "He seemed surprised to realise Naruto was capable of theft."

Itama looked up as the topic had changed into the blonde and looked hopefully at Hashirama. "So when do you think she'll come back? I haven't seen her since the battle." He said and leaned back in his chair. For a moment Hashirama seemed hesitant to reply, but then he looked reassuringly at their little brother and picked up his cup of tea.

"Naruto comes whenever she feels like it, Itama. You should have realised by now that the girl is as unpredictable as the weather. Whenever the wind blows in our direction I'm sure we'll see her again."

* * *

With a gentle bump, Naruto met Son's outstretched fist with her own. A gentle smile on her face and eyes glittering as she looked up at the demon who had decided to help her in her quest.

Son Gokū stood leaned forwards with what she assumed was a smile. Since his mouth was so hard to read because of the large bottom teeth sticking up, he closed his eyes in an eye- smile the same way her old sensei had done. Naruto grinned back as they parted and stood silent for a moment. Thinking about what she'd heard from the yonbi.

Son had been a lot easier to talk to then both Kurama had been, the red gorilla had better patience then the fox, and had listened as she told him about herself with the help of Kurama.

In return he told Naruto about what had happened in the last couple of months. That a black shape had come to him, calling himself Zetsu, and explaining how some survivors of the Hagoromo clan was coming for him. The clan was almost instinct by now because of the clan war, and according to the creature there were still a few survivors in Karonichi village preparing a large jar to seal him inside.

Zetsu had told him to go into hiding, but the yonbi had decided to face the problem head on. Naruto had been furious with him after hearing this, but eventually calmed down enough to talk properly.

The four tailed demon would from now on understand better what was going on, and had decided to go back home to the forest to hide.

As he was about to leave he'd leaned down and stretched out his fist. She recognised the gesture, and smiling thankfully she'd fist bumped him. Next moment Naruto had felt the chakra he was giving surge into her while he told her to spend it wisely and wishing her good luck.

This was the position they currently found themselves standing, in the sandy desert of wind country. The large gorilla nodded once to Naruto, turned his back to her and started walking away, not looking back while Naruto felt sad to see him go.

She had a soft spot for the yonbi, he was the one who'd told her Kurama's name. Her meeting with him was crucial in coming to an understanding with the kyūbi, and his voice was reassuring when he was calm. Even though his burst of anger could be ear splitting when he reached a high note.

_'Well… Now we've taken care of the nibi, sanbi, yonbi and the hachibi. Should we look for the rest while we're at it?'_ Asked Kurama and Naruto went into her mindscape to talk to the fox.

_'I'm not sure. I don't like leaving the fire country again so soon. I can't shake the feeling that something is going on back there…' Naruto said looking up at Kurama._

_Naruto had already met the rokubi and the hachibi on her travels before she met the past Kurama. Together they found the nibi in stone country about two years before they went to Uzu, and that only left the ichibi, gobi, and nanabi to be found. It was a high possibility the ichibi was already sealed, from what she remembered and Kurama had ssaid, Shikaku had been sealed by the shodai kazekage or someone in his village on their own._

_It was also strengthened by the fact that Naruto had yet to find the raccoon. They had already strived through the desert for an uncountable number of times without finding a trace or a whisper of his whereabouts._

_'What do you think we should do next then?' Asked the kyūbi with his head resting on his paws, one eye staring intently back at Naruto. She scratched the back of her head while she thought._

_'I don't think gathering your siblings will help much in sealing black Zetsu, the only reason I'd like to see them is to make them understand what can happen if they're not careful. Maybe Shikaku could have helped, but you've already told me he is probably sealed somewhere… I think… We should go back to fire country and try and find black Zetsu. He's still my first priority. Things are heating up back there, black Zetsu must be watching the commotion and I'd like to find out how things are progressing.' Naruto said looking back at Kurama._

_'I agree, I'd like to see what came of your demand to the Uchiha brat.' Muttered Kurama and took a deep breath before closing his eyes._

_Naruto watched as the fox started falling asleep, and felt a little offended by his lack of attention, but with a sigh left her mindscape._

Coming back to the outside world, she saw Son disappearing far into the distance and turned back in the direction she had come from. Wondering why on earth Kurama even needed to sleep. He didn't eat or go to the toilet, so why on earth did a demon need to sleep when they could ignore the other living creature's daily habits?

* * *

Izuna and Madara stood shoulder to shoulder outside the gates of the Uchiha village looking over to the Senju brothers.

Tobirama was looking searchingly at Izuna who used his best stink face to glare him down. Behind them the gates were shut, but above the top a dozen Uchihas were peaking over the edge in curiosity and worry.

"Madara."

"Hashirama."

The respective leaders said in greeting to one another. Their younger brothers nodded to one another and Izuna peaked over to Madara with furrowed brows.

"… Welcome." Said Madara and put one hand on his hip and raised the other. "This is my village." he said and pointed to the gates behind him. "I'd give you a tour if it wasn't for the barrier, and the fact I'm not entirely sure you would be safe." He said and turned his head towards Izuna. The teenager sighed and looked steely eyed back at the two Senju.

"We're here to discuss an alliance. What that entails and where we go from here to ensure peace." He said and together the Uchiha brothers started walking forwards until they stood right in front of their visitors. Behind them their clansmen were shifting restlessly.

"I'm really glad to be here, Madara. Let's sit down, I expect we'll be here for a while." Hashirama said and plopped down on his behind where he stood. Izuna looked sceptically down at the smiling man and his obvious lack of self preservation. With a quick glance to the gate, Tobirama sat down as well.

After a tense silence while everyone got comfortable on the grass, Hashirama spoke up. "We need to figure out a way to stay on the same side. I think you know what I have in mind already." He said with his legs folded and his hands resting on his knees.

Madara looked back to his village and back to Hashirama. "A new settlement. Konoha." He answered.

"My brother told me about this, you two discussed it as kids and you wished for it to be by the mountain?" Izuna said and pointed in the direction he knew it was, even if they couldn't see it from where they were now.

"Yes." Replied Hashirama and gestured with his hand in the same direction. "It's a large uninhibited area with very good views in most directions, it's a beautiful place I hope you will agree to." He said and smiled brightly. Izuna couldn't make up his mind if he was acting this happy, or of he was genuine with his emotions.

"I've told everyone that's probably what will take place, but we need some better knowledge of what will happen than some vague guesses." Said Madara and folded his hands in front of him.

Hashirama was nodding while Tobirama was watching the gates and the guards peaking over with narrowed eyes. Clearly he found the openness of their meeting place very uncomfortable.

"The idea is that our clans united will be a strong enough force for others not to attack, maybe even join us in the long run. I truly believe this is the way to stop these wars. To make the others understand how powerful we are, and to realise that disagreements and hate can end in a peaceful way. The Uchiha and the Senju are probably the strongest clans there is, we can make a difference together, not just for us, but for those who comes later too." Hashirama explained with his hands resting on the knees of his folded legs.

Madara nodded, already having heard all this before while Izuna looked thoughtful.

They started making plans, Tobirama who'd stayed quiet for the most part used his time studying the Uchiha while he listened. Hearing of the plans and time frame they were agreeing to. How and when things would go down and how they could get their respective clans to move away from their homes without too much disagreement.

In the end they decided that the village would have to be at least partly built before anyone moved there, which fell into Hashirama's main responsibility since he could build a house in less then a minute when he concentrated. At least that was what he boasted about when Madara asked how they were to build the village.

"Should we have a ceremony? When we officially move in I mean?" Muttered Hashirama and looked over at Tobirama. The silent man nodded together with the rest.

"The more we interact the better, but at the same time it would be best to do it gradually. I'm giving you two weeks Hashirama, I'll join you when we start building Konoha. I can't do much, but I would like to help with the layout of our settlement." Madara said while Izuna seemed sceptical.

"I'll join you then." The younger Uchiha muttered with an expression that said clearly not to disagree.

"How do we ease our clans into this? We'll be neighbours with the ones who killed our family, so it might be better just to push us on each other, that way it will be harder for individuals to plan an attack while being so close to your enemy." Said Izuna and gestured towards the gates, noticing Tobirama's mouth turning downwards from the corner of his eye. "I'm not saying I'm against it, I agreed didn't I? But we have sceptics amongst our clan, and I'd be shocked if you could claim it wasn't the same amongst the Senju. There are Uchihas for and against this alliance, but it will be a challenge no matter how we go about this. I for one wont take to kindly to see that red head again." He finished and his fists tightened.

They all thought back to the battle, and Izuna looked sternly over at Tobirama. "Who was that? You called him Kurou, but I don't remember seeing him before." He asked, having wanted to get the answer to this for over a week.

The white haired young man seemed reluctant to answer, but Hashirama interrupted the moment he was about to deny him. "Kurou isn't a Senju, he was actually not supposed to get involved with the war at all. He and his sister are guests in the village, but will probably go home now that it is safe again."

Madara thought over the red heads appearance, and then at the red haired woman who Naruto had knocked out in the beginning. She had been using chakra chains, and Madara knew that was a trait many of the Uzumaki had. Kurou had a sister, and it was probably her, which meant he also was also of the whirlpool clan.

"The Uzumaki eh'? He clearly didn't manage too stay out of the war it seems." Said Madara and shook his head softly, his eyes on the ground before meeting Hashirama's straight on. The young man shifted a little before looking at his brother who shurgged.

"Was it that boy that set the traps for my ninjas? That day?" He said and looked sceptically at the Senjus. It was a large reason to why they had won according to the reports Madara had gathered after their release. As they charged out of the woods to the shore of the lake, about fifteen had been caught in traps which restricted their movements, and made them unable to walk. They had frozen in place, similar to the way the shadow binding technique the Nara clan used.

"Well…" Muttered Tobirama seeing the encouraging glint in his brothers eyes. "No it wasn't _just_ him. His sister Mito helped too. The traps aren't difficult to detect, but we put them there as a safety guard in case your clan came flocking in during the sealing. I sensed your men scouting earlier, so we come up with the plan. In the confusion many of your ninjas were caught because they concentrated on the wrong thing. The fact that it's something you've never seen before helps as well." Answered Tobirama, finding some satisfaction in Izuna's annoyed expression, or maybe he was insulted, it was hard to tell.

The younger Uchiha bristled and straightened his back. "What sort of trap was it? During the bijū fight you were clearly trying to do something too, Hashirama. According to what my brother found out only the ones with eye power such as the sharingan has a hope of controlling a demon."

Tobirama rolled his eyes at the Uchiha's tone, he sounded very proud and haughty as he said it. "There are other and more secure ways of controlling a bijū. Let me ask you, what would you have done when the one controlling it had to go to sleep? Or was drained of chakra? We first planned on driving it away, but Uzumaki Mito is very good with fuinjutsu, so Hashirama was intending to become its jinchuriki with the help of their sealing technique." Tobirama said and crossed his hands.

Izuna was confused, and was about to ask what that meant, when Madara interrupted. " _You_ were planning on becoming a jinchuriki?" He asked sceptically, and also a little upset. "I thought they were unstable, like..." He trailed off looking uncomfortable.

"The Uzumaki are very good with their sealing techniques, and there are others who has done similar things before. The best of course would have been one of the Uzumaki to become the jinchuriki. Just like Mito, some of them have a bloodline very potent which allows them to bind chakra. Mito did offer herself up for the burden, since the procedure is dangerous. But her grandfather Ashina-dono never allowed for them to become part of this war, and his granddaughter coming home a jinchuriki would put our relationship with the Uzumaki in trouble. It was the best course of action we could come up with at the time." He said and shook his head with a small smile.

"I'm a little glad Naruto interrupted. I wasn't looking forwards to getting the yonbi sealed into me, I was unsure how it would react with my mokuton. Lava and wood usually doesn't go well together." He said and laughed.

Tobirama noticed how tense Madara had become. His brows were furrowed and his shoulders stiff. "Does Naruto have any connection with the Uzumaki?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

Tobirama watched as his brother nodded before Madara spoke up again. "So that's where she got it all. I wondered where she learned fuinjutsu." He said and closed his eyes.

"Namikaze stayed in Uzushiogakure for two years before she met my brothers there a couple of months ago. She returned to the fire country together with him and the Uzumaki siblings." Said Tobirama as the two Uchihas stared him down, the young man didn't let the animosity leaking from Izuna get to him however.

Madara turned and looked in the direction of their future village. Wondering how much Hashirama knew. It was a very high chance Naruto was a jinchuriki, he was certain by now that she was, and the Uzumaki knew how to create one. Where they the ones who'd done it? Why had they let her fend for herself if they did? Did Hashirama know? Was that how he got the idea of making himself a jinchuriki? Konoha was under way and the only one who'd seen the blonde was Izuna for a few minutes in the middle of the night. Where on earth was she?

"Who? Naruto?" Asked Hashirama looking quizzically over at Madara who realised he must have said the last sentence out loud.

"...Yes." He answered.

"I've already told you I don't know that." Answered Hashirama and looked over to Tobirama.

"You should probably know… She stayed with us for a night after we returned from Uzu. She left in the night and went to help you guys with the barrier. On her return we were forced to ban her from the village..." Said Hashirama and got his depressed expression into place while Tobirama looked untroubled.

Madara felt his eyebrows raise as he met Izuna's surprised black eyes.

"So we have to figure out what to do if she ever asks to join our new settlement." Added Tobirama briskly.

"What do you mean?" Wondered Izuna looking puzzled, while the Senju leader grew more and more sulky.

Tobirama frowned and met Izuna's eyes straight on. "I _mean_ , that Namikaze Naruto is a danger. She has clearly proven herself to be unreliable and capable of betraying us." He said seriously.

Izuna looked scandalized for a moment before he remembered how she'd ended up fighting his brother. It was hard for him now, after being saved by the blonde, to think badly of her. "Naruto is a good person, if you can form an alliance with us why the hell wouldn't you let her join?" Fired Izuna looking more then a little pissed off.

"I agree with Izuna." Added Hashirama, folding his arms in front of him, and Izuna looked put out by his statement, but ignored it the best he could. They all looked over at Madara who looked troubled.

"What do you think, Madara?" Tobirama asked after a few seconds silence. The Uchiha leader looked slowly up, his brows furrowed and his jaw strained.

"I think… She means well, but will have to prove her trustworthiness. I have a list of questions I'll need answered before I agree to letting Namikaze Naruto become a part of Konoha."

* * *

It was two days since the meeting by the Uchiha village, and as agreed they were starting the construction of their brand new settlement today.

While fingering a leaf in his hand, Hashirama looked over at the Uchiha standing with his hands folded and a look that spoke levels of unpleasant wishes to befall the leader of the Senju.

"Um… It's nice to officially meet you, Uchiha Katsu…" He said and reached up his hand to greet the man. Katsu stared contemptuously at the hand before Madara coughed less then discreetly into his fisted hand while looking pointedly at Katsu. With a sneer still plastered on his mouth Katsu reluctantly took it.

"Senju Hashirama." Was all he replied and let go of the hand as quickly as possible.

The Uchiha was shorter then both Madara and himself, clad in his grey yukata and his chokutō fastened to a belt. He had long spiky brown hair fastened in a low ponytail similar to the way Izuna wore it. His black slim eyes and face paint made him look like a snake ready to strike during battles. Hashirama privately thought he looked just as unfriendly today as any other time he'd ran into him.

Next to him stood Madara and Izuna, all three staring back at him, the leader only looking a tad less blood thirsty then the rest.

Hashirama couldn't have expected much better, he remembered clear as day that he'd killed both a friend of theirs, plus the last leader of the Uchiha clan right before their eyes. It had been done in a pretty gruesome way too. Tajima's angry red eyes staring back at him was burned into his mind forever, but so was the smell of his father's burned flesh as well.

With a quick gesture towards the trees Madara started walking, his two companions following closely without taking their eyes of the two Senju brothers.

"What are you going to start with, Hashirama?" Asked Madara standing with his back to him, his head tilted backwards as he stared up towards the mountain rising up from the forest in front of them.

"Well, I was thinking about starting with the town hall, and the street leading from it. We agreed it should be just about there, right?" Hashirama said and pointed straight forwards, his old friend looked over his shoulder and nodded.

"It will be a commercial street as we talked about?" He added with his black eyes staring pointedly into Hashirama's and his face emotionless. Their relationship was still forced, but the alliance had only been in force for a few days. He doubted all that had happened in the last six years would just evaporate over night.

Tobirama walked up next to his older brother and nodded to the Uchiha. "Yes, we've been over this already. Brother, let's get started." He said with suspicion radiating from his every pore.

"Off course, but Madara, maybe you three can clear out some space for me first? It's better if I have a clear ground to work with." He said and chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

The Uchihas shared one glanced before thy wordlessly got in formation, the Senjus clearly visible in the corner of their eyes at all times.

"Katon: Great Fire Annihilation!" Izuna and Madara cried together while Katsu stood a little behind, watching the destructive flames alter the terrain.

Tobirama stepped forwards and started gathering water. As soon as some of the flames got out of control he shot water jet streams at it and evaporated the flames.

As the flames roared and destroyed most of the trees, Katsu started going through hand signs.

"Doton: Earth wave technique!" He shouted and smacked the palm of his hand into the ground. The hard earth turned into an earth waves as the ground started moving vigorously underneath them, making the now fragile trees become uprooted and fall further into the flame inferno.

"Doton: moving earth core!"

This time a circle formed patch of the ground bordering around the flames shot up while Katsu started sweating. Hashirama knew the Uchiha had a strong affinity for earth, but even he was impressed by his control and strength as the earth underneath them rose upwards. A large round platform having been created that showed clearly where Konoha village would begin and the forest would start.

For half an hour they watched the round platform burn every tree to the ground, as only sooth and smoke was left Tobirama washed the ground with his water technique and Katsu lowered the platform down to it's original level.

As the dust and sooth was properly cleaned away, Madara used the wind vacuum technique to clear of the last burn marks as the rest watched the progression.

"Should we fix the water supply first?" Muttered Tobirama and pointed in the direction of the river. "I can make water source larger, and make a few water wells around the area." He said and looked over at Katsu. "Do you still have some chakra left? I'll need some proper rock tunnels to lead the water underground into the wells. We don't want muddy water, so it has to be stone caves." He said while Katsu only gave a nod and walked towards the lake he knew they would have to start by.

The rest followed suit to the small lake which lay south of their new settlement. Katsu widened the lake boarders with his earth release while Tobirama filled it to the brink with water.

It was a dreary task to make the underground tunnels, leading from the depths of the lake all the way into the center point of the village while Tobirama held off the water from flowing into the tunnels Katsu was making before they were finished.

The first well was placed right outside were they wanted the town hall building to stand, and Madara was already planning where the rest of the buildings should be located. In total they would to start with four wells. It was the same number they had in the Uchiha village, but because their declining number of people, there was only about three of them still in use.

"Great job everyone!" Exclaimed Hashirama and was about to pat Madara on the back before he thought better of it. Walking to the correct spot with the others on his heel, Hashirama started thinking hard about what he was about to do.

The technique was extremely intricate, not only to move his wood release in the correct way, but to remember every detail and corner while doing it. One messy construction flaw and a whole roof could come crashing down.

"Mokuton: Four pillar house technique!" He cried and clapped his hands together.

In front of them the first house of Konoha shot up from the earth, roof, floors, walls and window holes included into the building.

Hashirama stepped back to scrutinize his own creation. Turning to his audience he grinned widely.

"I think it works!" He said and gave them the thumbs up. Madara eyebrow twitch as he stood crossed handed and a little in front of him Tobirama sighed.

"Why do you say that? You've done this before, brother." The Senju said.

Hashirama laughed and waved his hand in front of him. "Well, I've never made such a tall house before, this one has two floors you know. I think I remembered it all, It looks sturdy enough to me." He said and pointed to the building.

Tobirama walked up to the opening where they'd later would need to install a door and peaked into the room. Looking back out he glared exasperatedly at his older brother.

"You forgot the stairs, brother."

* * *

They used all day supervising the Senju leader make house after house, and then correcting them when they realised something was out of place.

Like the window opening ending up on the second story floor, or on one occasion when the roof got fixed to the left exterior wall instead of the top of the house. Hashirama said it was a slip and hurriedly corrected it.

As the buildings started coming up they also started commenting on the layouts and adjustments according to their uses. Tobirama had the original layouts drawn on a scroll and they had all agreed to this, but as things started taking shape they couldn't help but make changes.

A shop which had an apartment on the second floor was changed from a one bedroom to a two bedroom instead. A large store got a larger storage then original, and Izuna had a sea of critics about the size of the windows.

As night fell Hashirama was sweating buckets, and dropped down on the floor after changing the whole upper story of a three level high building. It now had three bedrooms instead of the four made originally.

"This is a good start." Said Tobirama and smiled to his brother, his head nodding absent mindedly as the they came outside and looked down the street to the town hall at the end.

Hashirama was leaning against the wall while he dried his brow, but still found the energy to give them the thumbs up.

"Great! I'm beat, I'll need to get some food and sleep before I continue this though." Said Hashirama and looked over to Madara, he had been very silent for the last couple of hours, only using few words every time something was needed.

With his hand resting on his hip and chewing on a piece of bread Izuna pointed to the town hall. "Let's camp in there." He said, knowing this would be an uncomfortable evening.

There was no point running all the way back to the Uchiha village if they wanted to get this over with on time. They would have to turn the moment they arrived there to run back if they were to reach it by morning when the construction continued.

They had all brought sleeping gear and food, and at first they tried to talk about the village. Sitting opposite the Senju brothers and knowing they were about to sleep next to their sworn enemies made the three Uchiha restless until Tobirama spoke up.

"I'm going to keep watch. You can sort something out if you want to." He said and pointed to the Uchihas. "But I at least can't rest properly with you three in the same room. I'll wake brother up later so I can get some sleep. I know we're supposed to trust each other and all that, but we all know there is just about as much trust amongst us as there are rainbows." He said and crossed his arms. Hashirama looked confused until his brother clarified. "I mean none."

He didn't say it, but having his little brother keep watch calmed Hashirama's own nerves. Katsu still seemed angry with him, and he wouldn't put it past the man to slit his throats while he slept. The idea seemed to suit the Uchihas well too, and Madara ordered the rest to sleep while he stayed up.

None fell asleep right away, even as tired Katsu was he still turned from side to side on the floor as the awkward silence prolonged into the night, but eventually the three not on watch succumbed to their exhaustion.

At three o'clock Hashirama was woken up by Tobirama, and sat up to see Katsu sitting crossed legged next to Madara who was still awake even though he was lying down underneath his blanket.

He waved without speaking as Tobirama got to bed, and Madara sighed and sat up.

After an hour the only thing the Senju heard was the soft snoring sound from Izuna and the regular breathing of his little brother. Madara was sitting in a corner looking at the drawings of the village plan when Hashirama came over to sit next t him. Katsu tensing up by his movements.

The Uchiha leader looked hard as he sat down but didn't oppose to it.

"Why aren't you asleep? I swear neither I nor Tobirama will harm any of you." He whispered while Katsu was giving him angry glares.

Madara shrugged and continued looking at the village plans. For a while Hashirama thought he wouldn't answer when eventually the young man finally spoke up.

"I can't sleep like this. I'm too aware of my surroundings, and I can't help being alert. Katsu, why don't you go to sleep. There's no point the both of us being awake." He said in a low voice to the observing man in front of them. He shook his head stubbornly and gave him a look that clearly stated that was an impossibility.

"I actually wanted to talk to you too Katsu-san." Hashirama said carefully and shifted uncomfortably. "I know you hate me, you probably as well Madara, so… I'm very sorry. I'm so sorry for the pain my clan and I have caused you. I especially want to apologize for that battle… When I killed that girl and your father." He said looking at his hands as pictures of the battle flashed inside his mind.

"I never wished for that to happen." Hashirama said and looked up again.

Madara watched him intently from the corner of his eye while Katsu seemed too angry to even look at him anymore.

"Her name was Naomi. Uchiha Naomi." Said Katsu after a few minutes. Bitterness and harshness seeping into his voice. "Are you not going to apologize for all the others as well? Madara's brothers, my sister and father, and all our clansmen that was killed in battle?" He said with a sneer looking frustrated. "My sister was six when she was killed."

Hashirama felt his chest hurt as he heard the Uchiha's words. The situation was something he could sympathize with, losing more people then your willing to count. There were members of his clan who had no one left in their immediate family, they were the ones most opposed to the alliance, but everyone wanted the this war to end by now, so even they were for now going along with this decision.

"My brother was seven, and my mother was pregnant when your clan murdered her. I do feel terrible about everything that has happened, and I don't mind apologizing in the slightest, but the Uchiha is just as guilty as the Senju." Hashirama replied calmly.

The tension in the room grew as they stared each other down, Katsu's eyes were glossy as he fumed where he sat.

"You are right. I apologize for your fathers death." Said Madara quietly, breaking their intense fight of will with his words. "I apologize for your losses, and I hope… This will be the road to a better life." He said emotionless as he watched the floor rather then the one he was speaking to.

Hashirama smiled crookedly until Madara finally turned towards him.

"Me too."

The rest of the watch passed on in mostly silence, but some of the pressure was luckily lifted. Madara didn't get to sleep, and eventually Katsu lied down letting his leader deal with the watch instead. Hashirama had a warm feeling of relief flowing through him.

It was strange, even after these days of high spirit it was just now he truly realised this might truly be happening. Konoha would be built, and they could finally have some hope for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.
> 
> This was a really difficult chapter to write… I think I rewrote and deleted it three times and I'm still not sure about it. Chapter fifteen just wrote itself, but this one was like chewing gum stuck in your hair, just hopeless and hard to get out.
> 
> My native language is not English so please forgive my grammar mistakes, I do the best I can to avoid them.


	18. Horae

**Chapter** **seventeen** **–** **Horae**

_In Greek mythology the 'Horae' or 'Hours' were the goddesses of seasons and the natural portions of time. They were seen as the personifications of nature in its different seasonal aspects. Hora is translated as 'the correct moment'._

* * *

Kurou walked with her sister outside the new street of Konoha. They had come by here to say goodbye to Hashirama who was working here today, and to see with their own eyes what was being built.

As they came further down the street Kurou heard the unmistakable voice of Hashirama shouting his signature technique, going into a small passage between two houses they peeked around the corner and saw Hashirama drying his brow for sweat while grinning at his own work.

"Hashirama-san." Said Kurou as they came closer. The Senju leader turned and waved to them as a person came out from the house next door.

"Hashirama, I think the kitchen is a few centimetres higher then the rest of the floor. There is an unevenness in the slab." Said the man walking out, he had long spiky black hair and pale skin. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed the two red heads and they immediately recognised him too. Uchiha Madara.

Hashirama stood uncertainly watching them while they took in each others presence. "Uchiha Madara." Said Mito suddenly and nodded to the man, clearly having decided it was better to act civilized right now.

"Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kurou... I hear you two make quite the seal team." Answered Madara and came closer, his face remained neutral but Kurou had the impression he was merely keeping up a show for their audience, namely Hashirama.

"How's your brother?" Asked Kurou, he didn't see the point walking around the crater when you could just jump straight in. Made for less misunderstandings.

Madara looked darkly back at him, his eyes turning red and the Senju leader stepped forwards to prevent a fight from breaking out.

"Now, now. You know Izuna is fine Kurou. I already told you." Said Hashirama while a second Uchiha stepped out from the neighbour house. He recognised Uchiha Katsu as well, he was looking murderous as Hashirama grabbed Mito by the shoulder and steered her away with Kurou strolling along with them. He gave the two Uchiha a wave while the Senju gave him a frustrated look.

A safe distance away they stopped amongst the trees.

"Nice village, Hashirama. It looks like a very nice place to live." Said Mito uncertainly. Hashirama sighed and stared at Kurou.

"You shouldn't edge the Uchiha at this point in time. The memory is probably still fresh for him, and I'm trying very hard to keep the tone civil around here." He said seriously, and Kurou felt a little sorry for his attitude, ' _little'_ being the key word.

"I can't believe you even would want to live in the same village as them." Said Kurou, both hands in his pocket while looking motionlessly back at the taller man in front of him.

"Madara is a kind man, Kurou. War and destruction can have many effects on people's minds. My friend is still recovering after a very stressful ordeal, I beg you to be more.. careful." He asked quietly. Kurou nodded and looked at his older sister who was agreeing.

"We just really came to say goodbye, Hashirama." Explained Mito with a pointed glare to her brother who was again looking in the Uchihas direction.

"I know. You two will always be welcome back here. I hope you'll come to see our village once everything is finished." Said Hashirama ans smiled gently.

"Are you sure about that welcome?" Muttered Kurou with on eyebrow raised and a sarcastic smile. He then thought better of it and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'll behave, Hashirama-san. Even though our role here has tensed our relationship with the Uchiha, your clan and theirs are now united. We'll be happy to return and see how everything is going." He said and nodded to Hashirama.

Mito smiled softly to the Senju. "Yes, I have to see the end result as well. Our stay here might have been turbulent, and I wish I had the chance to talk to Naruto before departing, but I'm sure I'll see her again soon." She said as they turned to get ready for the road back to Uzu. "I hope." Mito added as an afterthought.

"Thank you so much for all you've done for us. I'll never forget it, and I'm in your depth now." He said and smiled widely.

"And don't forget it." Grinned Mito, and with a wave from both siblings they disappeared into the close growing trees of the forest.

* * *

Naruto was heading back to her cave, she still had half a day away before she was back, but was being delayed because she was taking her time scouting for black Zetsu.

Kurama had been very worried after talking to Son, mostly because he couldn't understand how the ink blotch kept riling up the bijū.

He thought Son's explanation sounded weak and that more must have gone down then he'd let on. At the moment Kurama was thinking out loud and keeping a constant background monologue to Naruto while she tried to concentrate.

_'The gorilla is a proud papa's boy, and was always very reluctant to reveal his own weaknesses. I still say the fact that he attacked that village because their might be a threat there was strange. He might be a stubborn bastard, but even he isn't usually this hot headed, no pun intended. Still, what else would have made him take the trip from the forest of rock country and all the way to fire country? It doesn't add up, brat. I'm telling you…'_

Naruto only nodded without answering, she was on high alert and only partly listening. After three days of constant talk from the fox she'd herd it all about four times.

It was an unusual amount of activity going on around her. Naruto had already felt five people moving about, and it was three more than she'd ever felt, except during confrontations. They were in smaller groups and seemed to just be going from one point to the next. Another thing that had her worried was the direction. It was the same as her own.

* * *

With a thoughtful expression Tobirama walked through the village, it was two weeks since they had started construction, and most of the buildings were in place by now. His older brother had done a very good job and become quite the carpenter by now. A few people had come by, both Uchiha and Senju came to watch the progress, and especially the sharingan wielders had been impressed by the work done.

Hashirama and Madara had become busy with the plans, but now all the boring work needed to be done as well.

Paperwork and info sheet was being passed to all the members who was being offered to join Konoha. It wasn't forced, at least not for the civilians. No one said it, but any ninja who went against the alliance would be more or less banned. They couldn't have rebels close to their village.

They had decided to wait another two weeks before they official moved in, afterwards it would be celebrated with a founding ceremony the same day.

Tobirama had contacted the fire daimyō in the civilian capital, they were their main source of income and mission request, and they had a lot of opinions about their new alliance.

Since Hashirama was busy with building the village, Tobirama had taken it upon himself to start categorising and evaluating their ninjas. After the founding everyone would be going through ranking, how they would do this was still up in the air though. At least the two founders wanted to see what level everyone was at, and give them individual ranks. Genin, chūnin and jōnin.

Hashirama and Madara were obviously jōnin already, not just because of their skills, but because they had proved able to lead others. They would probably become the judges of the test, or whatever it would be.

The problem Tobirama was more worried about was the request he'd been given from the capital, that someone was to be appointed leader of the village. Some sort of person that could represent them all.

He had immediately thought of his brother, and then gotten nervous about what would happen if Madara was overruled. That Uchiha could be incredibly stubborn, and more then a little egoistic…

* * *

"Itama! Your haori is wrinkled, how many times do I have to tell you to hang it up and not leave it sprawled on the floor? You are thirteen and should be able to remember this by now." Growled Tobirama to his younger brother who like everyone else in their clan was wearing the Senju outfit for today's big ceremony.

The founding of Konoha. The alliance and merging of the Uchiha and Senju.

"Yeah, I'll remember next time, brother. It's fine, just a little wrinkly on the hem. No one will notice." He complained back to his older brother who was staring daggers back at him. His pale red eyes narrowing slightly at his words.

"Next time? A village is only founded once, idiot. You'll be on the front row, Itama. And you're representing the main family of the Senju clan. You _better_ hope no one notices." Toirama snapped back.

"Stop pestering me, _mum."_ Itama taunted back, before averting the subject. "Is Naruto here yet?! Has she come back?" He asked eagerly as their eldest brother came into their brand new kitchen, hands stacked with papers as he balanced them while hurrying across the floor.

"Sorry Itama, everyone's looking out for her though. Hopefully she'll be here soon." He answered as he rushed past into his bedroom, and came back three seconds later with twice as many papers.

"What is all that?" Asked Itama.

"Profiles. We need everyone registered. You filled one out yourself, Itama. It's the alliance agreements everyone signed to join Konoha a few weeks ago." He panted, trying to put on his sandals while balancing the paper tower in his left arm.

"Need a hand, brother?" Asked Tobirama coming up to him and Hashirama nodded gratefully.

"Come on, Itama, it's almost time."

* * *

"You'd think it would matter a little to you how you looked, Madara. Especially today. Seriously, why do you never hang up you clothes when you go to bed? They get all wrinkly. It gives a bad impression you know." Said Izuna to his brother as they walked towards the founding ceremony.

Madara looked at his younger brother with one eyebrow raised and a sceptical expression which more or less meant. ' _And most don't have a bad impression of me already?_ _'_

"Come on, we've got to show the Senju up a little. We're Uchiha damn it. We take stock by our reputation, big bro."

"Well, you saved the day Izuna. Thanks for lending me your yukata. But now you will be the one looking shabby." He said grinning.

"The sacrifices I make for you, big bro..." Muttered Izuna.

There was a large gathering by the town hall, two divided groups of around a hundred in total. Some wearing the same light coloured outfit, meaning they where Senju, or the varying darker shades of the Uchiha members.

"I can see Yuko over there. I think I'll see if she has a good view for the ceremony." Izuna said cheekily and hurried over to the brown haired young woman while Madara walked towards the middle of where his clan members had gathered.

The two clans stood separated on each side of the newly built town hall. Some amount of tension running through all of them. In the middle was a post set up with two banners hanging down. One was blue with the Uchiha crest, next to it was a light purple banner with the Senju symbol.

Looking around the faces of the Senju clan Madara saw many faces he recognised, a man he'd cut down on his hunt for Hashirama, a woman who'd killed his second cousin once divided, another man who lost his wife to Izuna.

It was utterly absurd, standing here face to face with the people he associated with death and pain without any metal in sight. No weapons, no ninjutsu, just people.

The woman looked strange without her green armor on, smaller and almost harmless looking. He peeked over his shoulder at Izuna who was looking surprisingly alright today. His brother had been very reluctant at first, but he was slowly easing up a little. He was using the ceremony as a way to chat up Yuko, telling how he had been forced by Madara to wear his wrinkled clothes since he was such a slob.

Grinning he turned back towards the Senju who had started parting to let someone to the front. Hashirama came strolling through the crowd while the members of his clan bowed.

He was a respected leader and clearly loved. Madara had seen it plenty of times on the battlefield. When someone managed to break through ranks and come up on Hashirama from behind while he was distracted by Madara. Butsama had lost his life using himself as shield to save Hashirama. No one but Izuna would consider that for Madara's sake.

Not that he had ever needed anyone to sacrificing themselves for him, but the action left an impression on you. It was a powerful act that spoke volumes of both the person being protected and the protector.

The tall Senju leader was smiling from ear to ear as he came towards him, stepping out from his clansmen and walking towards the middle. Madara followed suit.

Hashirama then stood next to his ally and addressed everyone around. His eyes wandering from the faces of his clansmen to everyone within the Uchiha clan as he spoke.

"Welcome everyone, to this blessed day. The Uchiha and Senju will from now on be united. Working together, fighting together and living our lives together as family. From today we are kin, and will stay that way until Konoha no longer stands. Today we confirm the wish to ally ourself with those we've fought and struggled against. Choosing to forgive our many hard losses, but never forget the price we payed. It will take time, it will take effort, but for the sake of those of us still standing. Our children and our grandchildren, we will from now on work together." Madara nodded as he spoke, showing he was agreeing and paying attention while his eyes wandered through the rows of people.

Itama, the young Senju with the funny two coloured hair was standing next to the ever serious Tobirama, who as always had his hands folded in front of him.

Izuna wasn't flirting with Yuko any more, but paying attention to the words being said. He saw Katsu standing next to him, his face less strained then he remembered it had been only a week ago. The man was standing next to Hana who was holding his hand, and the sight lifted his heart.

Suddenly Madara felt with conviction that this was right, and that this was the way to create a secure future for his people. He started smiling. Smiling more easily then he'd done since skipping rocks by a long gone creek in the forest.

* * *

People were eating and talking happily with one another by the tables Hashirama had made with his wood release. It was a large feast put together to celebrate the union.

The members of the two clans was still not voluntarily joining each other, but Hashirama and Madara made an example by sharing a table in the middle with their two very sour looking younger brothers.

Izuna seemed to have taken insult by his loss against Tobirama and Kurou. While the middle Senju brother had never been the most sociable, and didn't make the situation any lighter with his silence. Itama was eating greedily while Hashirama and Madara was content looking at their long awaited dream becoming reality.

"What's wrong?" Asked Hashirama. Madara didn't realise he was talking to him, thinking the Senju was trying to lighten the tension between Izuna and Tobirama at first.

"Me? What do you mean? Nothing is wrong. Not today at least." He said looking over at Katsu and Hana again, they where sitting a little distance away with Izumi.

"Come on, something is clearly on your mind."

"No, nothing on my mind, except that the meat is a bit dry." Madara said and pointed to the half eaten dish on his plate.

Hashirama instantly became moody, and his head dropped in disappointment.

"Eh..?" Said Madara, his eyebrow twitching as he realised that even if Hashirama had grown in hight, it didn't seem he'd gotten rid of his annoying neurosis.

"Oh, come on!" He exclaimed as Hashirama didn't light up.

"I cooked that..." He muttered still looking down at the table top.

"Seriously! Still? you need to do something about that attitude!" Madara said while pointing accusingly at Hashirama.

"You don't like my cooking..."

"You fucking sour puss, it's fine. Completely edible!" Madara sighed giving up to Hashirama's manipulation.

"Good! Then tell me what's wrong instead." He said, becoming happy in an instance.

"For crying out loud, there's nothing wrong." Snapped Madara back.

"Is it that Naruto isn't here? I'm a little worried you know. Out of all of us I though she'd be here." He said hitting the hammer on the nail.

Madara grimaced and looked towards the direction of the gates.

"I'm sure she's fine, Madara. Probably… Eh.. making amends to Ashina-dono, maybe?" He said looking over to Itama who seemed suddenly interested in their conversation. Tobirama and Izuna looked curiously over as well.

"Ashina? Uzumaki Ashina?"

"Yes, as you know Naruto stayed in Uzushiogakure for two years before she came back with me and Itama. You met her right afterwards when she put up the barrier around the Uchiha village." Explained Hashirama. "But she really screwed up doing that. Or well, is it screwing up when she knew the consequential but did it anyway?"

Madara felt uncomfortable in his seat, he knew she'd gotten on the wrong foot with the Senju, but not the Uzumaki as well. "Anyway, she stole the seal from Mito after she put up the barrier for us. Sneaked out in the middle of the night too. Mito was furious, they're really close friends you see. Her brother was pretty upset as well, since the Uzumaki didn't want to get involved in the mess at all, and there Naruto went and used their fuinjutsu skills for you without anyone's consent." He smiled reminiscently while Tobirama huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Idiocy I say. The girl got banned from the Senju village when she returned. Going off helping..." He trailed off uncomfortably and said no more.

"I think it was really brave you know." Said Hashirama. "She knew we would be angry, knew her family would get furious-"

"Family?" Asked Madara.

"Yes… Well, not close family, Naruto went to Uzu to see if she had any family there. Her mother was named Uzumaki it seems, and they did some blood seal tests while she was there, which proved she was actually related to the main family of Uzushiogakure." Hashirama explained while gesturing with his hands.

"What?" Madara said, his eyebrows raising into his hairline. "I didn't know that..." He mumbled but then pressed on. "What do you mean by making amends? Are they still angry about the barrier?" He thought out loud.

The Senju leader shrugged, his expression clueless while his youngest brother looked worriedly down on the table. "I hope Naruto comes back soon. She's much more fun to hang out with then all these U-" He stopped suddenly, and it was apparent Tobirama must have stepped hard on his foot by the moans the teenager was making.

"Would you stop pining for that troublesome Namikaze, Itama? She can do whatever she likes." Muttered the white haired man while Itama blushed at his bluntness.

Madara watched as the bothers start to bicker to one another, while Izuna who hadn't paid attention looked wishfully over at Katsu's table where Yuko had just sat down.

Madara eventually lost interest as Itama exclaimed Tobirama was a snob and boring. The Uchiha leaned back in his chair looking up towards the mountain behind them.

"We start tomorrow with work right? You sorted out the transfer of our missions to our new village?" Asked Tobirama changing the subject completely while Itama sat with his hands folded as he sulked in his chair.

"Yes, first mission assigned to the Senju originally, will be fulfilled by Konoha." Answered Hashirama and looked over at Madara. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen your mission transfer yet, so I just went ahead. If you have any that needs done just get them and we'll do those right after."

Madara raised his eyebrow while Izuna finally turned his attention back to his own table.

"I do actually have a few missions that has been neglected because of our new settlement here. I wouldn't mind if it got first priority actually." Madara answered, it was perfectly true, but he also didn't like Hashirama going over him in these sort of matters.

"I'm sorry, but it's the same with us, we've been focusing on the construction the last couple of weeks, and our client is getting impatient." Hashirama replied, the tension around the table going up a notch as they looked intently at one another.

Itama had cooled down a bit and didn't understand the problem. "Does it matter? It's not like we've changing teams yet is there? The Senju is with the Senju, and the Uchiha with the Uchiha. Just send out the teams at the same time." He said and Tobirama sighed.

He leaned down to his little brother and said in a low voice but still loud enough for everyone to hear. "I think this is more about who gets the right to say they preformed the first mission of Konoha."

Itama rolled his eyes and dug into his food again while Hashirama and Madara kept seeing who would crack first.

"Maybe we could flip a coin?" Said Hashirama eventually. The Uchiha was about to agree but then thought better of it.

"You know…" Said Madara with a glint in his eye. "I think we should race to the top instead." He said while pointing towards the mountain.

For a moment the two sat frozen in their chair looking at each other, and with a loud bang they both disappeared in a flare of over turned furniture and food flying haywire behind them.

Their brothers and clan members watched as Hashirama and Madara pelted away at an insanely fast speed. Only a trail of dirt and dust in their wake indicating the direction they were heading.

Tobirama sat on the ground after getting knocked out of his seat at the abrupt race-start, and watched as the dust slowly started calming down. "What the hell is wrong with them?" Izuna and Tobirama exclaimed at the same time.

"I'll so win this time." Panted Madara as they ran next to each other. Hashirama pushed into his side, attempting to knock him off course. Gritting his teeth he pushed right back as they started running vertically up the mountain.

Hashirama was a step in front of Madara. ' _N_ _o way in hell_ _am I going to let_ _h_ _im_ _win_ _this time_ _!'_ Thought Madara as they saw the top coming closer.

The Senju might be taller, but Madara could move his feet faster. With an enormous effort he took over the lead by half a foot. The smile was hard to fight off as he jumped over the edge of the top and landed half a millisecond before Hashirama.

His hands raised in the air he shouted his victory while Hashirama moped like a kid next to him. "Hah! Won fare and square there, Hashirama. No cheating this time." He gloated to the overgrown child.

"I admit defeat..." Muttered Hashirama and got a hold of himself.

Madara looked out over the horizon then, his eyes going from east to west over what was starting to become Konoha. They just needed a few more buildings to complete the village. The academy would be to the east side, and his own house had been done by Hashirama last week while the hospital would be closer to the mountain. It had to be dead useful during the war to have someone with wood release building houses in less then two minutes.

"We did it, Madara… Later than I expected, but maybe now we can relax..." Said Hashirama looking to their clans still feasting outdoors, they were now their people. All of them people to be protected.

"It's kinda beautiful isn't it? Even at night." Madara said quietly.

"Yes, You did good, dattebyo." Said a feminine voice behind them.

Neither turned to look at Naruto. Both of them had known, somehow, that she would be here. They just didn't realise it until they stood here now.

"Naruto, come look at our village." Said Hashirama and pointed down towards the gathering far bellow.

"I've been watching for a while you know. Good speech Hashirama. Really inspiring." She laughed and walked to stand in the empty space between them, watching the light from the fire underneath the star filled sky.

Madara turned to look at her with a soft smile. "Thank you, Naruto. For saving Izuna." He told her sincerely.

She smiled back and winked. "Of course, Madara. I had to. I hope you'll accept me into you village, though. The only clan I have any roots to is the Uzumaki, but I hope this village isn't exclusively for Senju and Uchiha." Naruto said cheekily.

Hashirama laughed and hugged her. "To me you have been just as big a part in achieving this as me and Madara." He said releasing her. Happier then any of them had seen her she laughed loudly, the gathering down below could probably hear her.

"I'm sure you would have managed on your own. I took it on myself to make sure as many as possible would get to enjoy it when you did." She chuckled, and then turned to Madara and tilted her head with a soft smile. "I'm really proud of you both, dattebyo."

Madara couldn't help the surge of pride rushing through him at her words, Hashirama seemed just as effected. Trying to think clearly he held up his arm. "First though… Before you join Konoha you have some questions to answer, Naruto." He said and Hashirama's smile faltered a bit seeing the serious expression on the Uchiha's face.

Naruto looked curiously at him, his shoulder were tense and his eyes was boring into her own. He gestured to the mountain edge and sat down with his feet dangling over the steep end.

Without a word Naruto and Hashirama followed suit, the blonde situated in the middle as Madara kept his eyes on the people down bellow.

He exhaled once and turned his head towards Naruto. "First of all. Is there something we need to know about you? Something you haven't told us?"

Naruto was surprised by the direct question. It looked like Madara was hinting at something as they sat there in the darkness. Hashirama leaned forwards and peaked at their serious expressions.

Naruto hesitated, the smile still lingering on her face had slowly melted away and she looked out over the small village. There were no lights inside the houses, and she felt they were in a completely different place then they'd been just a minute ago.

The lights weren't cosy, but alien, glimmer of hope in the far distance. For some reason it was harder to tell the truth to these two. With the Uzumakis they had felt like people she didn't know, she hadn't cared as much about what they thought of her. Naruto had grown to love them afterwards, but that was not the case here.

"Yes. I haven't told you some things, and you're right, there is something you need to know about me before accepting me into your village." She said and leaned back on her hands. Her feet stretching out a little before falling down again.

"I'm a jinchuriki." She said quickly, feeling how Hashirama stiffened next to her and Madara's insistent eyes piercing into the side of her head. "I've been one for a long while… I have the kyūbi sealed inside me. His name is actually Kurama." She said not looking at either of them.

She noticed how Madara's breathing stayed even during her reveal. He was very good at counselling his emotions, she knew that, but he didn't show any hint of surprise as he waited for her to continue. Naruto didn't have the chance though, since Hashirama suddenly grabbed her shoulder tightly. Realising he was clutching her rather hard his grip slackened but he didn't remove his hand.

"What? Why haven't you told us this before?" He asked silently, the others having to strain their ears to catch the words properly.

Naruto chuckled with her head going from side to side before meeting the Senju's dark eyes. He seemed nothing but concerned for her.

"I rarely have good reactions when I admit to being a jinchuriki. Who wants to be friends with someone like that? But you both need to know now, dattebyo." She said bitterly and her brows furrowed.

"You have the kyūbi sealed inside you, were you going to tell us if I hadn't asked?" Wondered Madara and crossed his hands in front of him.

Naruto glared at him and nodded. "Of course I was. You got ahead of me with the question." She retaliated and watched as a flicker of emotion crossed his features.

"Where are you from? You said you were from Itanika, but I can't find any documentation of you. Not even in the orphanage." he said and ignored the sound of surprise that escaped Hashirama's lips.

"That doesn't surprise me. I didn't stay there all that long, and I only slept in the orphanage for two days. The rest was spent outside on the street or in the forest." She said and looked up a the sky. This was a dangerous topic, how was she supposed to come up with a good enough story for how she was raised without lying?

"You were six years old and you're trying to convince me you survived on your own? What about before? What about the village you were born in?" He pressed on insistently.

Naruto felt unnerved by his questions, Madara was asking the right ones. The ones that she would have to lie about, and it puzzled both her and Kurama that he was wondered about these things specifically.

"My birth village is gone, I can't remember where it was exactly. You don't seem surprised though. I just told you I was the jinchuriki of the nine tails and you shake it off as I was commenting on the weather. Did you know already?" She asked finally looking at him directly.

The circles underneath his eyes were as pronounced as ever. His face looking both strained and insistent at the same time.

"Yes. At least I suspected as much." He replied while Hashirama again looked as lost as ever. Clearly he hadn't suspected any such thing.

"How?" Naruto demanded, feeling an unexplainable anxiety filling her puzzled mind.

"… You used the kyūbi chakra during the last battle." He said uncertainly, feeling both the urge to tell her everything, and at the same time resentful to show her all his cards. She was clearly not telling them everything, why should he?

Naruto looked hard at him before she snorted and turned to Hashirama. "You're a sage, Hashirama. You could actually feel my chakra during that fight, did you think I was using bijū chakra?" She asked sarcastically and turned back to Madara before Hashirama could do as much as shake his head in answer.

"You should know, Madara. That I can detect untruthfulness because of Kurama's influence. It's not as pronounced since I'm not using his chakra, but you are exactly five centimeters away from me, so I can pick it up right now. You. Are. Lying. Dattebyo." She said getting more and more annoyed.

On reflex Madara moved away from her, for the first time showing any surprised.

Hashirama was wondering what sort of discovery came next, he'd learned quite a bit in the last few minutes, and it seemed more was still coming. "Guys, lets not jump to conclusions here. We can solve this without accusing one another and whatever have been held back has probably been done so for a reason." He said, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"I'm not lying." Said Madara stubbornly.

The blond pointed accusingly at him and bristled. "You are not telling the whole truth, dattebyo."

"If you can withhold information why should I share mine with you?"

"Because the things you're not telling is about _me,_ and I want to know so I can tell if they're truths or lies. I don't want you to go around with wrong assumption!"

"So tell us what you're hiding, and I'll tell you what _I_ am hiding." The Uchiha replied now very frustrated about how tight lipped she was being. Zetsu had been all about talking when Madara had not wanted him to, Naruto was the complete opposite.

The girl turned her torso so she was facing him properly, it wasn't lost on her the hostility radiating off the black haired man. "There are things I wont tell anyone, Madara. They are private, and very personal and I'm not sharing them with you or anyone else."

Eyes narrowing he turned his head away from her, staring down over the view and could only think of how unfair and impossible Naruto was being. He had wished for her to calm down his suspicion, wanted her to realise he needed her to. "You have to, if you wish to join Konoha." He muttered, he had said it in the heat of the moment because he wanted to hurt her, but instantly regretted it.

Naruto stared shocked back at him, and with gritted teeth she got to her feet, her fist clenched and eyes speaking depths of unpleasant wishes for him.

"Fine." Was all she replied, and without a glance back at them she marched away. It took the young men two seconds to follow after her.

"Naruto!" Shouted Hashirama as they saw her run into a cave a little further ahead. It was hid behind two boulders, and had they not come from this direction they would never had noticed it.

It took her five seconds before she was out again, now clutching something in her hand while she glared daggers at Madara. She held it up with one quick movement and showed them her old forehead protector.

"This is mine. It has the design you came up with when we were kids, it's scratched into the metal. I've waited to use it since I wanted the village to be built first, but I guess I won't be needing it after all." She said and showed Iruka's old forehead protector into the startled man's hand. They both stared curiously down at the worn metal. It looked used alright, but she did travel a lot so the damage could have come from anything.

Next she put something else into his hand. A book.

"This is yours. Thanks for the loan." She said and walked back into the cave without a word.

'Clan Dictionary' was written on the shabby cover. It looked to have been dipped in water at some point and was stained and tired around the binding.

Madara who had completely forgotten he'd loaned this to her was staring at it for a few moments while Hashirama gave him an annoyed look and followed Naruto inside.

"Naruto! You can off course join Konoha. You belong in Konoha, we both know that. He's just being a hot head, you both can be too stubborn for your own good." He said to the girl sitting on a make shift mattress surrounded by varies belongings around her. Furthest in was her rugged backpack, and the ground was littered with various ninja weapons. A sweater was lying on top of the mattress, and the covers was kicked into a corner.

"You live here?" Asked Madara coming up next to Hashirama, the blond gave him a quick glare and crossed her arms without replying.

The Uchiha looked hard down at her. "I spoke hastily before, you can join Konoha, Naruto… But why wont you tell us, though? Why do you need to keep this secret? Nothing you say could possibly be worse then the war between the Uchiha and Senju, and look at us now." He said and gestured towards Hashirama.

Naruto felt some of her anger melt away as she took in his words. In a way what she had to hide was worse and better at the same time. Worse because of the future she'd left behind, and better since this had very little to do with them if things went according to plan.

"It's not worse per say… Not to you at least." Naruto replied and looked over at her backpack where she knew Sasuke's forehead protector lay securely out of sight. "It's just none of your business, dattebyo." She finished while Hashirama and Madara sat down in front of her.

"I've told you I'm a jinchuriki. I'm alone and I have nothing to offer Konoha except my strength and the promise to protect our village with my life. You should know by now I never go back on my word, and I will never betray this village. Can you accept that? Is it enough to know this, and understand that I don't wish to share some things about my past with anyone." She said looking more at Madara then at Hashirama.

The men peeked at one another and Madara eventually relented. She had told them she was a jinchuriki. That was something at least.

"We hope one day you'll trust us enough to tell more. For now I believe you. I have never doubted you were anything but faithful to Konoha." Said Hashirama and smiled genuinely to the blond. She returned the gesture half heartedly.

Madara was still observing her living arrangements with one eyebrow raised when he realised both of the others was watching him. "I already choose to trust you, Naruto. I owe you that much for saving my younger brother and helping me protect my clan. It doesn't stop me from wanting to know though, and you shouldn't expect me to forget about this even if I'm not opposed to you joining Konoha. I'm stubborn that way." He said and gave a small crooked smile at the end.

Naruto rolled her eyes but felt her mood lift a bit. "When are you not stubborn, Madara?" She added while Hasirama chuckled relived that the tension was going away.

"I can be quite insistent, I know that." He replied staring back at her without braking their contact.

Madara wasn't sure what he felt about her anymore. So much time had passed since the days by the creek and he wasn't the same person who'd developed a crush on her at the age of twelve. All these suspicious thoughts and the changes happening around him made him feel different about a lot of things. For one he wasn't trying to kill Hashirama anymore.

"Come on, Naruto, let's get you settled into the village, we have an appartment available which you could move into." Said the Senju and got to his feet again.

The girl looked searchingly at Madara before she agreed, and followed after along with Madara while he was lost in thoughts.

Hashirama seemed to understand her uneasiness and patted her on the shoulder. "You will be a member of Konoha, Naruto. If you leave then Madara and I will have to hunt you down and drag you back kicking and screaming if necessary. This is your home. It was since we dreamed of Konoha when we were kids." He said in a kind and caring way.

She released a breath she hadn't known she was holding, and looking nervously over at Madara. The Uchiha looked into her sky blue eyes and tried to figure out where he stood with her.

Was he even her friend anymore? Maybe the foundation of friendship would have to be built up again. It was the same with Hashirama and their relationship, it just wasn't the same after everything that had taken place.

His head buzzing with thoughts as he took in the blond with a renewed impression. He really must have changed, since Naruto looked different to him now then what he had thought in her long absent. He couldn't point his finger at exactly what it was, and it had taken until now to realise it.

Coming outside and walking up to the edge of the mountain they noticed how some of the lights from the gathering had gone out. It seemed the party was over by now, and people were heading to their new homes.

Madara volunteered to show Naruto to the apartment, and the group split up in two as Hashirama went back to his own home.

Walking in silence he sighed when he came to the conclusion that he just had to see what would happen. Maybe Naruto was someone he loved, but she also might be a reincarnation of Ashura out to destroy him. The thought sounded stupid even inside his own head.

As they came up to the front of her new dwelling he stopped her before she could go inside. "Here. You should start wearing that." He said and held out her forehead protector.

Naruto smiled and took the metal out of his hand and bound it around her forehead. It really did suit her.

"I wish you would trust me more, Madara." Replied Naruto and met his eyes with a sad smile. "No matter what you think, ever since I met you and Hashirama up on the mountain top I've wished for you both to be happy, dattebyo." She added and adjusted the protector a little higher up.

He smiled gently and ran a hand through her bangs, clearing them so her spiky hair wouldn't fall into her eyes and the girl blushed. It looked like she remembered the last time he had touched her hair well enough. Grabbing her by the shoulders he looked at her for a moment before hugging her tightly. Naruto laughed in relief and hugged him right back.

"Welcome home, Naruto." 


	19. Painted Hills

**Chapter eighteen – Painted Hills**

_Formed over 35 million years ago by volcanic eruptions that led to the intermixing of ash, soil, minerals, and plants, the colo_ _u_ _rful stratified layers of the_ _Painted Hills_ _are known for their changes in colo_ _u_ _r and pattern depending on the light, weather, and more._

* * *

Naruto was sitting in the window frame of her new apartment, staring out on the street behind the window and watching as people started waking up and leaving their homes.

Konoha was still a small settlement, and everything felt a bit incomplete. Some houses didn't have all their windows installed, but it was still warm out, so at least no one would get cold.

The early risers seemed to be the ones working on the village. Since people were transporting furniture and odd pieces of belongings through the street outside.

The relationship between the two clans was obviously still tense, but for now everyone seemed to be behaving themselves. As Naruto kept watching she noticed a person coming running down the street. His two coloured hair making it obvious who it was even from a distance.

Her new home was a one bedroom apartment on the main street close to the town hall, which had an uncanny resemblance to the Hokage tower. She was enjoying it immensely, Hashirama was a very skilled carpenter as far as she could judge.

Stretching as Itama was meters away from her building, Naruto got up and left her new home. Coming out her front door to the access balcony at the back of her dwelling, she saw the teenager standing on the bottom of the stairs with a wide grin looking back at her.

"Naruto!" He cried and waved energetically as she came down the stairs.

"Itama! How are you?" Naruto asked and came to stand next to him, he had grown a bit since she met him in Uzu, already a little taller than Naruto herself, and was clearly going to be just as tall as his brothers one day. He also had that lanky look about him that said his body was growing faster then his muscles could keep up with.

"I'm good, I just heard from older brother you were back! You should have come to the feast yesterday, Naruto! I was wondering where you were." He said and the blonde chuckled at his difficulty not to start bouncing up and down.

"I've been in that cave we spent a day in once. It's just over there." She answered and pointed to the mountain. "Do you remember? When I came back late with a deer for dinner? You were recovering from being ill."

Itama's eyes widened and he nodded. "I remember! Was that here? I knew it was close but I didn't realise it was just up there. Why haven't you come earlier?" He asked curiously.

With a nonchalant wave of her hand Naruto replied vaguely. "I haven't been there all the time, Itama. I've been running around trying to fix a few things."

The teenager tilted his head in puzzlement, and Naruto wondered if she should tell him she was looking for black Zetsu or not. She decided it was a conversation better had with his oldest brother then the boy himself. Itama really didn't need to worry about that thing.

"What were you fixing?" He questioned as they started walking out of the backstreet and towards the town hall. Naruto trying to take in stuff she'd missed earlier.

"Oh, a little of this and little of that. Nothing you have to worry about, Itama. Instead you can tell me how is it going here. It looks like things are going well, I never expected all this when I returned." She said and smiled brightly while waving her hand towards the new buildings, things looked very different from the Konoha Naruto had grown up in but still somewhat recognisable.

"We're almost done, just a few larger buildings, and we are also waiting for a delivery from the capital with windows. Most of it should be finished then. Right now Tobi is fixing all the documents, while Hashirama is dealing with talking to everyone. I'm not sure what he is saying to the Uchiha, but brother always tells me we need better communication with them." The boy said as they passed two Uchihas who were looking at them with curiosity.

One was a brown haired girl with a haircut similar to how Shizune had worn hers, and she was a little shorter then Naruto in hight. She stopped when their eyes met and the girl stepped forwards.

"Namikaze Naruto-san." She asked and raised up her hand, Naruto realised she wanted to greet her, and hurriedly took her outstretched hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, I am Uchiha Yuko and this is Uchiha Hana." She said and looked to the black haired girl behind her. "I watched while you created the barrier over the Uchiha village, I've heard many things about you from Izuna-kun too."

Itama was looking uneasy, and stayed a few steps behind Naruto while the blond smiled widely. "Nice to meet you Yuko and Hana. I hope Izuna didn't say only bad things about me." She replied while roughing up the back of her hair nervously.

The young woman looked a little younger then herself, but had that Uchiha calmness about her that made you uncertain about what she really thought. Yuko was wearing a dark blue yukata and had a tantō strapped to the back of her waist. Very similar to the way her friend was dressed.

"Quite the contrary Naruto-san." Yuko and Hana replied in unison. Releasing Naruto's hand, the girl looked over at Itama with a short nod.

"Are you back to stay in Konoha?" She asked while brushing a few stray strands of brown hair back behind her ear.

Naruto nodded while she pointed to her building a little further down. "Yes, I live over there, this is my home as much as yours now."

The girl's face didn't change, but her shoulders stiffened slightly at her words, maybe the statement was said prematurely. Hana however was not as talented at keeping her face blank, and frowned but didn't say anything.

"It's nice to have met you Naruto-san. We must be going now, I'm sure I'll see you around soon." Yuko said and dismissed herself with Hana while the two left stared at their retreating backs.

"I see things are still awkward..." Muttered Naruto and grinned half heartedly down at Itama who rolled his eyes.

"Of course… It was better yesterday because of the feast, but it'll be a while until I can sleep without worry. Tobi still insist we need one of us to keep watch every night." He said as they picked up their pace again.

Naruto shrugged, it was better than what she'd been imagining on her way back from her meeting with Son.

"Why don't you give me a tour, Itama? I wanna' to see everything."

* * *

At noon she'd bumped into too many people for Naruto to remember, they all seemed to know or recognise her, and most were friendly. They met Tobirama at the gates by lunchtime, he was about to leave for a mission when Itama and his companion caught up with him.

"Itama, I'm glad you came here, brother is looking for you. This morning you forgot to take our message over to Toka-chan. There's also a list of chores needed to be done, and while I understand you are catching up with an old friend right now we have a lot of things to get sorted." Tobirama explained and first then looked over to the girl keeping his brother company. "I heard you were back Namikaze-san."

"You can just call me Naruto you know." Sighed the blonde at the stoic expression coming over him when he addressed her. Naruto had the feeling Tobirama had a very negative impression of her, it could be somewhat justified since the last time she saw him she'd punched him in the jaw and accused him of something he hadn't done.

"How are you, Tobirama? You've done a good job with the village, dattebyo." She said, ignoring the uncomfortable atmosphere and smiled brightly.

"I'm fine… I'm about to leave right now. I think brother would like to speak with you though. He wants you to fill out the profile form." He said and his attention moved towards a couple of people coming up behind them.

"Profile form?" Asked Naruto and looked questionably at Itama who only smiled and nodded.

Tobirama greeted the two newcomers and turned to leave, but before they went he looked back at Naruto. "You need to fill the form out so we know who are citizens and who're not. It also helps us get a better picture about what abilities different people have." He explained and Naruto nodded slowly. She noticed how impatient the other two were and realised they were holding them up.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked before she thought better of it, in _her_ Konoha they had mostly been secretive about unfinished missions.

Tobirama looked as thought he was thinking along the same line, and was about to leave her hanging when Itama suddenly coughed not too discreetly, sending his brother an annoyed glare.

"We are heading for the capital. See you in a week, Itama. Please help brother out, alright? There is too much to do for anyone to be slacking. I expect you to be helping as soon as the form is filled in as well… Naruto-san." He said, and looked pointedly at Naruto.

"Will do, sir!" She replied and saluted him, making his two team mates grin despite themselves and waved as they left Konoha.

* * *

The profile form was more like a very detailed contract followed by an ability list you had to fill out for the document to be valid and you were granted citizenship to Konoha.

Naruto had to list off everything she was able to do under different paragraphs.

Under elemental affinity she filled out wind as main element, then water, earth and lightning as things she could do. It then demanded to explain what sort of ninjutsu she could preform within these affinities, and Naruto spent a good forty minutes remembering all names to fill out.

It was confusing since she could do sage-wind ninjutsu, and there was no column for that. It was however a column for senjutsu, which made it confusing to know where to specify the senjutsu wind rasenshuriken when elemental ninjutsu had already been listed earlier.

In the end Naruto just filled in things the best she could, struggling when it came to medical ninjutsu, which she left blank. She couldn't do any medical ninjutsu per say, it was more regeneration of existing organs, not healing but remaking. It was also something she didn't dare to do too much.

Naruto had a blast filling out the section asking if there was something that didn't fit anything listed above. There she rambled on about Kurama's chakra and everything from bijudama to chakra arms.

It would be fun to watch Madara's face if he ever read it, he'd be so jealous.

Handing it back to Hashirama she stretched and soon left the house. The Senju might be a little surprised by reading the list as well.

* * *

Madara was to be found deep within the surrounding forest of Konoha. Naruto had kinda been avoiding him. It was a little more then a week since she returned and just as long since Naruto had seen him last. It wasn't that hard to avoid someone if you really wanted to, the blond had a lot of experience in delaying unpleasant things. The Uchiha was very busy these days, making things easier.

He was standing with a bird perched on his hand, it was a beautiful creature witch was scrutinising Naruto as she came closer, the Uchiha looked over his shoulder and smiled briefly before stroking the bird over it's feathers.

"Mamoru, this is Naruto. She's an ally so don't worry." He told calmly and the bird looked back up at the man he was using as a perch. 'Mamoru' nodded and then got back to what they had been doing, which looked like some sort of exercise. At least the ground was littered with scorch marks and new smaller craters.

Madara threw out a scroll as hard as he could, and the bird rose up in the air after it. Going through hand signs he fired a wind ninjutsu, not strong enough to hurt, but enough for Mamoru to struggle in his attempt to get to the scroll and not get fried. The bird swirled and twirled through the wind, screeching once as it got a hold of the scroll a second before it hit the ground.

Flapping its wings the bird rose up into the air and returned to Madara's shoulder. Wordlessly he returned the scroll and nudged Mamuro's beak affectionately. "Good job." He muttered and looked ready for a new attempt, when Naruto interrupted.

"Is the bird a summon?" Naruto asked.

"He's a falcon, and yes, I can summon him if I need to." He replied and Naruto watched as they did a similar exercise, except Madara was throwing weapons instead of ninjutsu this time.

"How long have you had falcon summons?" Wondered Naruto aloud, Madara didn't stop throwing stuff, but answered as he sent different sorts of metal objects at the dodging bird. A kunai, a shuriken, a knife and in general anything which could cause damage and bleeding wounds.

"As long as I have been able to use chakra. The Uchiha have had their contract for many generations."

A feather was cut off Mamuro's tail, and a small screech escaped him before he avoided the three next shurikens. "Maybe you should take it a bit easier?" She asked and crossed her hands in front of her while Madara scoffed as he sent his kama next.

"This is nothing we haven't done before." Replied Madara matter of factly. Next he sent out a sea of senbons, and Naruto was very impressed when the bird got out of that undamaged.

"Hashirama is asking for you." Naruto told him after another minute as Mamoru landed on Madara's shoulder again, this time pecking him not too gently on the side of his head. The whole of the bird's head getting lost in the Uchiha's messy hair.

"Right now?" Muttered Madara as he stopped the bird from getting completely entangled in the spiky strands.

"It seemed so, he said something about a meeting?" Answered Naruto and shrugged. With a nod he came up to her while Naruto studied the bird.

They started walking away from the forest clearing he'd been working in towards the village. "He is quite big for a falcon, I thought they were smaller, dattebyo."

"Normal ones yes, but Mamoru and his tribe has chakra, which makes them larger then most. This guy is young though, he's twenty nine, but that's viewed as a little more then a teenager in their eyes." He said teasingly to the bird who looked pointedly away with his beak in the air. Clearly affronted to be called a teenager.

Madara winked to Naruto and poked the bird gently on the wing, making it look sideways down at him with a calculating look, as if he was hinting at something. "Mamoru is the son of the chief though, so I train him hard so he'll be ready whenever it's his turn to take over the reins."

Next moment Madara fished up a grey furry thing and handed it to the bird who devoured it so fast Naruto barely registered what it was.

"Bah! Was that a rat you fed him?" Said Naruto getting the chills. Madara chuckled and nodded.

"Mhm, falcons eat a lot of different prey, from smaller birds such as ducks to bats or reptiles, Mamuro here likes bats the most." He said and patted the bird affectionately. Naruto shuddered, but then again, hadn't she once been forced to eat bugs for a while? Some would say that was just as vile.

"Have you eaten it?" She asked curiously and the Uchiha smiled reminiscently. "Yes, it's not too bad actually, at least once you get used to it. Call it a coming of age test, they don't want summoners with a weak stomach. The Duck could have been delicious though, if I'd been allowed to heat it first of course."

Naruto was torn between laughing or puking, so went with a safe middle ground and grimaced.

The falcon suddenly rose up into the air, spreading it's wings wide and soared away over the tree tops. "So do they live close by? Since he didn't do the reverse summon?" Asked Naruto once the bird was out of sight.

"Yes, they live very close to our village, heh, I should say old village now, though. They are considering moving closer now that our clan is further away, but I doubt they will. They're a tribe filled with falcons who like their routines."

"Sort of like you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You always get up early and go train. Even when you we were kids I could almost pin point when you would arrive, if you showed up it was always precisely at the same time as the last." Naruto said while Madara looked thoughtful.

"I guess I am sort of a habit person, but not in fights. There I never rely on a pattern, it's a weakness to depend on the same thing over and over..." He explained as the town hall came closer. A few people waved to them while they walked, and Naruto was unsure if she should greet them or not. She decided to do it whenever it was a Senju, their relationship wasn't good enough yet for them to greet the Uchiha leader yet.

"I've never been one for strategies." Added Naruto and noticed a small smile grow on Madara's face.

"That's because you can't, it's like you're unable to think ahead sometimes. So caught up in what you're doing in the presence to think of what comes next." He teased and chucked when Naruto's mood soured. "Admit it, you're a really bad planner!"

"Maybe not with the small details, but I can see the bigger picture, and goes straight towards it. Just look around you, Madara." Replied the blond as the Uchiha opened the entrance door of their destination. He huffed and rolled his eyes at the jibe, and was welcomed immediately by Hashirama who was pacing back and forth.

"Ah! There you are, Madara, I was looking for you, but I couldn't find you. We have to talk right away, your brother and Tobirama is already upstairs, but I didn't want to start without you." He started rambling and gestured towards the spiralling stairs at the end of the hall. "Come on, let's get this over with okay?"

"See you later." Added Naruto and was about to leave when Hashirama suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Actually, I've been thinking you should be a part of this." He said and had time to give a quick smile before starting dragging her with him.

"Eh?"

Hashirama was already halfway up the stairs when he got around to answering, Madara trailing behind with curious expression. "As the only non clan member of either of the two dwelling clans within Konoha you can be the objective view about topics. We need a middle man, uh, I mean woman."

"You want Naruto to be a diplomat? Seriously?" Muttered Madara as they came into the corridor of the top floor.

"Who else? She somehow got through to you didn't she? Both the Uchiha and Senju can trust her, at least more then an individual from either clan, she's perfect!" Hashirama exclaimed as they came up in front of the last door in the corridor.

Madara sighed as the Senju opened the door and they followed inside. "I'm not sure..."

Inside sat Izuna and Tobirama very mute, looking curiously up at the three arrivals while they were situated on each side of an oval table.

"Oy! I can be a diplomat, dattebyo!"

"..."

"You just wait and see, dattebyo."

Hashirama got in between them with his hands folded. "Save the argument for later you two. Izuna-san, Tobirama and I have already voted she should be one, so technically you're already outvoted, Madara, since she has accepted." He said and gestured for them to sit down.

Naruto looked curiously up at the tall man. "I have?"

Madara was fighting a smug look and failing spectacularly, Hashirama only shrugged and gestured for them to sit down.

Izuna waved at Naruto to come sit next to him, and happily she took the sit pulled out for her. Hashirama sat between Tobirama and Naruto while Madara sat down on the other side of Izuna.

"Izuna, were have you been? I haven't seen you since I saved your ass." She asked the young man who gave her a sheepish smile while leaning back in his chair.

"I was on Konoha's first mission, I left for Ha-"

"Please leave the catching up for later." Interrupted Tobirama and pointed to a stack of paper next to him. "We have quite a bit to get through first, and we've already been waiting for Madara." He said and turned towards his brother.

"I come with some news from the capital, and while I know my brother has already been thinking of this, they also seem to have a similar idea. In short, Konoha needs a village leader." He started telling them but kept his eyes mostly on his brother.

Hashirama nodded and turned towards Madara. "I was thinking of you actually, we need someone who will look at every inhabitant as their family, and protects the fire country from the shadows, a Hokage." He said and Naruto couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She kept her gaze firmly at the wooden surface of the table while she thought.

Hokage… It was a long while since she'd last thought of that word. How much she'd changed since her days of declaring she'd take that title. For years everything had been solely about Konoha. Nothing else but Konoha.

She only half registered as Hashirama explained further what the leader would be doing today and in the future as the village grew. Naruto's head swimming with the picture of her Hokages.

Sandaime, yondaime and godaime.

Hiruzen, Minato and Tsunade.

Jiji, tochan and baa-chan.

The thought left a tight feeling in her throat and she pushed the memories away. It wouldn't help her to dwell on the past. All that mattered was the now and the future. There was nothing that would stop Naruto from fixing things. People were relenting on her powers, expecting her to fulfil her part in this mess. A wry smile twisted forced itself onto her face.

A true shinobi are those who protects from the shadows. Wasn't that what Uchiha Itachi had told her?

Her ears picking up on Izuna asking how the Hokage would be chosen, and Tobirama explained there would be a public vote where every citizen would participate. Away with the old system and in with the new. Democracy… Or something based on it at least.

As hard as she tried to suppress her memories, they still started bubbling. Right underneath the surface.

Izuna was thinking out loud about his opinion about the Hokage position. His focus drifting from all of them in turn, Naruto pretending to pay the utmost amount of attention. "So who's the candidates? A Hokage should be one of the strongest in the village, if not _the_ strongest. Anyone who became Hokage would be acknowledged by everyone. Uchiha and Senju alike."

_'You're wrong.'_

Three pairs of dark eyes and one set of red looked confused back at Naruto, who suddenly realised she'd said that out loud.

"What do you mean?" Asked Tobirama, he was sitting with his elbows on the table, one hand cupping his face while he looked with one arched eyebrow back at the blonde.

"I.. I mean the Hokage… You don't become Hokage to be acknowledged, it's those who are acknowledged who becomes Hokage." She said, again thinking of Itachi's words. Trying very hard to hammer the picture of Nagato, the Uchiha and Killer B out of her head without luck.

She didn't want to get depressed again, she was in Konoha, she had dreamed of this for so many years, she had to suppress these memories right now.

"Heh… You're right." Said Tobirama sounding surprised. Naruto had a feeling that was an insult but didn't comment on it.

"So we'll have a vote, but there are candidates, right? You never answered that." Replied Izuna with his hands folded looking over to his older brother.

"I think the candidates would be obvious, Hashirama and Madara of course. Anyone else who'd fit?" Answered Tobirama leaning back in his chair.

Naruto noticed how Hashirama's eyes wandered in her direction, but she kept her interest fixed on a scratch in the table.

This wasn't her time line. She didn't _belong_ here, Naruto was just here to fix things, and then she was to make sure as things went the right way. Even if she had already screwed up time royally, it didn't mean she'd give up hope to save those who could be saved. Or in this case it was more like making sure they were born.

That meant she most likely would have to be very little involved with the village and even the villagers, try to let them come to conclusions without her interference, let things progress the way it did the last time.

Who knew how fragile time was? Had team Minato taken a pee break during their Kanabi bridge mission maybe Rin hadn't been captured, and Kakashi had never lost an eye, and Obito wouldn't have been crushed by stones and found by Uchiha Madara. Maybe that was all it took for the to become a different place forever. The thought made her incredibly depressed and hopeful at the same time.

Naruto knew how big of a hypocrite she was being. Here she was trying to prevent wars and suffering, and some people were born as a result of that. They had been moulded both because and despite of suffering, Naruto herself was a prime example of that.

She was already well aware that peace required sacrifices. Oh yes, how painfully well she knew that by now…

* * *

About an hour later Naruto went outside, already dead tired of all the paperwork and lessons she had to remember. Things still needed to be decided, and Naruto hadn't had much to offer. It only lead to them having to arrange another meeting after the Hokage election about troop divisions. It was clear that the Uchiha and Senju couldn't continue the way they had up until now with their missions. There had to be some sort of merge, but first the village leader would be needed to be chosen.

When the blonde was halfway down the street she stopped at the sound of her own name being called. "Wait, Naruto!" Shouted Izuna and came up to her with a charming smile that made Naruto wonder if he and Madara could actually be related. The older Uchiha was very good at smirking, but rarely truly smiled, far less grin the way Izuna did.

"You left so fast, Naruto. I was going to ask you to spar with me, but before I knew it you were gone." He said and looked knowingly back at her. Clearly her lack of concentration had been noticed, even if Naruto had attempted to look like she was paying attention.

"Heh, sorry. I didn't like the idea of dragging out the meeting..." Replied Naruto and adjusted her hitai ate. She had found herself doing that a lot lately. It was a long while since she wore it regularly, and the added and familiar weight around her head made her constantly touch it absent mindedly.

They headed together towards the new butcher store down the street owned by a young Senju, and they agreed on a match as soon as they were done shopping. "By the way, big bro told me about that forehead protector of yours. It looks nice on you, maybe I should make one myself." He said thoughtfully while scratching his wrist. He had a bandage there, and Naruto guessed he'd gotten cut during his mission.

"You should. The hitai ate shows your fighting as a shinobi of Konoha." She said and peeked at him from the corner of her eye. He was contemplating her words while while looking towards a the Uchiha banner stationed by the gates far ahead of them, at least that's what Naruto thought he was looking at.

"You know what, I think I will. Maybe you can give me some pointers?" He answered and touched the metal of her hitai ate with his pointing finger. Chuckling when Naruto's head pushed backwards, the rest of her body following after and scowled back up at him.

"I have better things to do then helping you with metal work, dattebyo, I'm sure everyone will get one sooner or later, I mean, the Senju already made similar protectors for themselves."

Izuna nodded as they reached their destination. The butcher waved to Naruto and nodded politely to the Uchiha before asking the blond what he could help her with today. He was a really thin man, and even standing there with his large butcher knife Naruto had problems picturing him in this occupation.

"I think I'll go for cow, maybe some shank?" Naruto said aloud and started rummaging through her pockets while the butcher bent down behind the counter. Looking at her meagre amount of money, Naruto swallowed and chuckled weakly. "Actually, make that half a shank, or how much do I get for this?" She asked and laid out the sum on the counter, in the end she got half a the shank while Izuna bought loin for himself and his brother.

"I hope I can start doing missions soon, I'll have to go back to the cave if I don't get an income one of these days." Naruto muttered depressed as they left the butcher.

"Ah, I can imagine. Or you could just get married to someone with money, I'm sure you will find some poor bastard willing." Izuna teased while Naruto rolled her eyes.

"Suuuure, that will solve all my problems."

Izuna laughed while shaking his head, and Naruto got scared this topic might lead to places she didn't want to go, so instead she asked a question she'd been wondering about for a long while.

"Hey Izuna, there's one thing I wanna' know. Are everyone in the Uchiha clan inbred?"

As the words came out of her mouth Naruto realized just how insulting that sounded, and looking up at the choking dark haired guy next to her she tried to take it back.

"I- I mean, you know, everyone is named the same in your clan. Even the civilians go by Uchiha this and Uchiha that. So I… well, it's the same with the Senju you know. Everyone's family name is the same, dattebyo." Naruto tried to explain, seeing the dangerous glint in Izuna's eyes fade to be replaced by mirth.

"Heh, no. We are _definitely_ not inbred Naruto, we don't use the civilian system where a woman takes the husbands family name either. The rule is rather that if an outsider marries someone within a clan that person has to take the clan name. It doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman, they'll be demanded to take the clan name." He said slowly and clearly, as if he wanted to make absolutely sure Naruto caught it all. In the mean while she frowned at the explanation, there were still something odd about that system.

They had just passed a couple of Uchias who Izuna waved to, and Naruto found her attention fixed to the fan symbol sown into their yukata. "But… What about when two people from different clans marries? Who gets to keep their name then?"

"Well, it depends on where they choose to live. If someone from the Uchiha clan married a Sarutobi the person who moved would have to change his or her name." He told her, and Naruto felt one eyebrow raise high while the other furrowed.

"So… what happens if an Uchiha and a Senju got married tomorrow? They live in the same village..."

Izuna stopped abruptly and looked completely baffled at the question. Clearly that was something he'd never imagined before, and Naruto couldn't be sure if he was genuinely trying to work out an answer, or fighting away the picture she'd implanted in his head.

"Not sure..." He answered eventually, the corner of his lips turned downwards and his left eyebrow slightly twitching. Naruto smiled triumphantly.

"Maybe they could just keep their family names?"

"Please let us talk about something else. I really can't..." Izuna said and grimaced. Naruto had the impression Izuna found idea of a marriage between a Senju and an Uchiha as disgusting as Naruto found eating bats.

"Okay, let's talk about your spectacular loss to Kurou instead then. I wanna' know exactly what he did, that boy is really slippery when he wants to, and I don't want to be surprised next time I spar with him." Naruto said more for the hell of seeing Izuna go from uneasy to bad tempered then actually wanting the details.

Laughing as the Uchiha grunted they headed for the training ground.

* * *

Naruto stood on top of a platform Hashirama had created for the event. It stood in front of the town Hall, which they yesterday decided should be renamed the Hokage tower.

Behind her stood the leaders of the Senju and Uchiha clans waiting expectantly for her to begin to talk. The blond was supposed to be the diplomat between the two rivalling shinobi groups, and apparently that meant she would have to be in charge every time a touchy subject was being discussed amongst the villagers. It also meant she was today's show host.

"Welcome everyone. Thank you all for coming today, I've been told everyone is present by now, so we'll try to get this over with as quickly and efficiently as possible. We have two excellent Hokage candidates you will have to choose between and I hope you can see beyond clan or old loyalties and think of the best for Konoha village." Naruto said loudly to the gathering of people. It was at times like this she wished the megaphone was a basic tool stored in the village, she wasn't even entirely sure if it had been invented yet...

Looking out over the people Naruto was pleasantly surprised to see how mixed the gathering was, it was refreshing change from the usually separated packs they usually crowded themselves in. Izuna whooped from the front row, and Itama who was standing close gave him a glare.

"We'll do this simply enough. Everyone who votes for Senju Hashirama stand over by the blue post, everyone who votes for Uchiha Madara stands by the yellow post." Naruto said and pointed to the two painted logs of wood which had been placed in their respective locations earlier in the day.

With a nervous look over her shoulder she saw that both men seemed calm enough. Hashirama and Madara both standing with their hands folded and watching the gathering with patience. In front of her everyone was still waiting for her to continue speaking, but Naruto didn't really have much more prepared and sighed.

"Okay… You can vote now, dattebyo." She told them.

People immediately started moving Izuna and Tobirama who'd been standing next to one another in the middle splitting up and heading straight for different posts. It was apparent who'd win, since Naruto saw few Uchiha go towards the green post, and none of the Senju doing the opposite.

With a small smile she looked at Hashirama as the last few voters got to their place.

"Alright. I hope you know what a big decision you all made today, so thank you so much for voting. Konoha's first Hokage will from today be Senju Hashirama, dattebyo!" Naruto exclaimed brightly and stepped backwards, letting the new Hokage take the spot light now that her role was finished.

Not knowing what to expect she went to stand next to Madara at the back of the stage, feeling her nerves spike in trepidation by not knowing how he would take this. His face was completely unreadable. Just standing there mutely watching Hashirama prepare to speak while Naruto studied him from the corner of her eye.

In front of them Hashirama cleared his voice and started talking. "I hope you know how honoured I am for being selected, I promise to do the best I can to assure this village will grow and flourish towards a-" Hashirama started saying passionately while his whole demeanour had gone from calm to determined.

In the back Naruto casually moved right next to Madara and nudged hum with her elbow. "Are you alright?" She whispered, trying to move her lips as little as possible so no one would notice. The Uchiha looked slowly towards her with that damned expressionless mask still in place.

"Shouldn't I be?" he muttered, Naruto frowned and peaked back at the Senju. He had started gesturing now, and was pointing towards a corner of the gathering.

"… that means that from today I promise to see you all as my family, we might not share blood, but as Hokage it will be both my duty and my joy to-"

With her pulse rising despite her lack of cause she stared down the Uchiha who had turned his attention back to the speech. "Well, maybe, maybe not. That's sort of why I asked, so I would know which one it is." Said Naruto stubbornly, Madara took his time answering, and for a minute she was under the impression he wouldn't.

"...I swear to protect and preserve what we have fought for, what we together will achieve in the future and-"

"I'm okay." Madara answered, but Naruto wasn't so sure, his eyes was too emotionless, too still and focused on Hashirama's back at this point. He could be a bastard whenever he felt like it, but Naruto knew his pride had been wounded.

"..this means I'll be there for you all, Uchiha or Senju, it doesn't make a difference anymore-"

Still the Uchiha stayed calm and focused, trying to ignore Naruto the best he could, which pissed her off. "Are you telling the truth?"

"...and to guide and teach those coming after teach them to never give up, to-"

Madara's folded hands were clutching tight over his upper arms, making the fabric of his yukata wrinkle as he looked straight ahead. "Yes."

Naruto sighed and her gaze turned up towards the sky free sky. The sun blaring down on them and burning their noses. From the trees framing the village borders Naruto caught the sight of a large bird of prey flying up and heading towards them, it's long majestic wings spread out on each side as it glided on the wind. Free of burdens and flying free high up there were none of them could reach it, as she followed it's progress it flew right above them, disappearing towards the mountain up ahead, maybe it was Mamoru.

As the bird flapped it's wings, soaring even higher up into the air, Naruto caught the last few words of Hashirama's speech. "… Because ninjas are those who endure, and our job is to pass on the will of fire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please forgive any grammar mistakes, I try to avoid them but English isn't my native language so they do occur.
> 
> PS: For those of you wondering why Naruto hasn't picked up on Zetsu being around the Uchiha:
> 
> I'm trying to keep Naruto as in character as I can. Which means she wont find out about this from just hints and wild guesses. She has been chasing that creature all alround the world for years, and is under the impression Zetsu wont show up until after Madara abandons Konoha. (like he does in the oroginal seris) There Madara thought he was a part of his own mind, which is a very different approach then what he has done in my story.
> 
> Zetsu also keeps riling up the bijus, so really I don't feel she should be able to guess he is contacting Madara, Naruto thinks he'd tell her if that happened. There is rising suspicion, but not enough for her to confront Madara about it (yet.)


	20. Red Mist

**Chapter nineteen - Red Mist**

_A feeling of extreme competitiveness or anger that temporarily clouds one's judgement._

* * *

As predicted the first wedding held within Konoha was _not_ between a Senju and an Uchiha, but between two members of the Sarutobi clan when Konoha was little more than a year old.

The Sarutobi had moved into Konoha after six months along with the Shimmaru, and four months later they were joined by the Nara and Aburame clans.

So in autumn the two Sarutobis said yes to one another with members of all six clans plus one Namikaze present for the reception.

A few months ago Naruto had returned from a three week long stay in Uzu, where she'd been told very firmly that she'd been out of line using their techniques without consent during the war. Ashina had lectured her for a good hour where his main concern were soothed the best Naruto could manage.

After a week she'd also managed to gain Mito's forgiveness too. Which had been celebrated with a bottle of sake the red head had hidden underneath a floor board in her room.

At first Naruto had been under the impression she'd get hit in the head with the bottle, and even as the Uzumaki had taken out two glasses Naruto still wasn't entirely sure if she was safe or not. It could be that Mito was trying to put her off guard before attacking.

The only attack done that night was the fight to empty the bottle. Which Mito had been a lot better at than Naruto. It was the first time the blonde had ever had sake, and it tasted _awful._ Absolutely disgusting. Naruto didn't see the point of drinking it either, since the after effect Mito seemed to be aiming for didn't come to Naruto at all. She had to force herself to finish the first glass, and that was far from enough to get her drunk.

By this time Mito had started singing and questioning Naruto about her relationship with Hashirama. It sounded more like she was being accused of something, but Naruto guessed drunk people had a habit of being over emotional. Naruto had once seen ero-sennin cry over lost love, and she'd never dared mentioning it to the man after he had sobered up. It was a secret the jinchūriki would take with her to the grave.

On her return to Konoha, Mito and some of her siblings included Kurou had come with her to see the village.

Naruto had promised to show them Konoha in detail once they arrived, but that plan was thwarted when she'd been greeted with a new round of testing for the newest addition to the village. Instead, Tobirama had been the one giving the Uzumaki a tour while Naruto went to check out the Nara's abilities.

It had fallen to Naruto to test every single ninja and see how they ranked in their system. Originally she had been given the task since she was the diplomat between the Uchiha and the Senju and she was trusted enough for her to be treated as an ally by both clans.

They had started mixing up the teams, making members from different clans work together to take down Naruto. During the battles she used bijū mode to check if there was animosity between the members, and based on the result and their feelings they choose who was put into different teams.

By now it had extended to almost a full time job, especially since she could only test three teams every day. It had taken about thirty five days only to check all the Uchiha and the Senju, and even longer now that more clans were joining the village. Naruto had barely been on a mission outside Konoha at all.

The only time she'd gone was with Madara when they had to make their way through Hyūga land to assassinate a group of lightning user shinobi living at the boarders of their land plotting against the leaf. It was the dirtiest mission Naruto had ever received, but she'd done it without too much complaints.

The Uchiha leader was another problem Naruto had to deal with.

He seemed to be confused about her these days, and the blonde was afraid he might still have feelings for her. Madara hadn't come out and confessed like he did during their reunion, but he wasn't really the subtle type either.

He'd kissed her cheek when she left for Uzu, and Izuna who was following her for a good distance on the road had told him to keep it child friendly since Itama was saying goodbye as well. The Senju boy had been very unfriendly with the Uchiha afterwards, and Naruto couldn't for the life of her get used to their rivalry.

She'd never been as much as asked out on a date in her own time, and the one time Naruto had asked Kiba on a date herself he'd been under the impression she was a genjutsu. As a kid she also used to have a crush on Sasuke, even if she'd never admitted it to herself before he left the village.

Slowly Naruto had gotten over it, he wasn't the Sasuke she remembered anymore. The twisted and insane Uchiha she'd met after the kage summit was not the one she had cared about when they were young. He was now a friend who desperately needed their help to get out of the darkness. Scarred and maimed as his mind had become by then.

No, in general Naruto had come to peace with the fact she'd remain alone and not have a husband or family. It was a choice which meant less would be changed in the future, at least if the future wasn't screwed up enough as it was.

Hashirama was a very young Hokage, something Kurama never failed to remind her about. In the original time line he was at least in his mid twenties when Konoha was built, not at the end of his teens like now.

The Hokage would soon turn nineteen, just days after Naruto turned twenty, and the blonde was wondering what to give him as a birthday present as she strolled through her home village with her hands behind her head.

For everyone living within the village it seemed to be flourishing, but to their enemy Konoha was like growing weed and there had been many attacks from distant clans who realized just how big of a threat they were becoming. So far no one had been killed though. Not one person had lost their life since becoming a citizen of the village hidden in leaves.

The evaluations of the Yamanaka and the Hyūga clans were about to start, but after they had been wrapped up she looked forwards to go out on mission with her new team.

Naruto led her own squad and the only two she answered to now was the jōnin commander and the Hokage. Her team consisted of herself, a jōnin named Uchiha Sora, a chūnin named Senju Tōka and another chūnin named Nara Shin.

Over all Naruto was happy with her team and got along with all of them, even if she had a habit of getting into an arguments with Shin on a daily basis. Naruto liked to think the arguments were all in the spirit of strengthening their teamwork.

Even though they were a team of equals, in other words they all held the rank of jōnin or chūnin, it didn't stop Naruto from training them vigorously. Ordering them to join her in the morning for exercises so all of them were the best they could be. She always took the route she knew Madara wouldn't take when he did his own morning training. And lead them into the surrounding forest to torture- em, train them.

* * *

Tobirama was on guard duty with Izuna one late night in October, the two stationed by the newly named Hokage mountain. It was a very silent darkness, and the two young men watched for signs of any disturbance above the cliff side with the Hokage's face carved into its surface.

"I heard a few members of the Hyūga clan came to the village today, do you know what they came for?" Asked Izuna a little past ten.

Tobirama looked back to the Uchiha standing about twenty meters away. "Yes, they are talking about joining Konoha." He answered and Izuna gaped in surprise.

"Wha-? Really?" He wondered aloud and looked out over the village again. "Are we… accepting _them?"_ Was what he asked next.

Tobirama watched as a bird flew low over the houses and slowly he nodded. "I would think so."

Izuna chuckled lightly and rested one hand on his hip while letting the other grip the shaft of his chokutō. "Seems like Naruto won't run out of work too soon then." Replied the Uchiha and the bird Tobirama had been watching landed on a chimney. It was coal black but that might just be an illusion from the darkness of the night.

"You know, I have the impression you dislike her. I heard something about her giving you a crooked jaw to match you crooked nose?" Said Izuna, not able to let the opportunity to jab at the Senju pass him by. They had never been paired up for guard duty before today, and they didn't exactly run in the same social circles.

Tobirama reacted very little, just turned his head slightly and then looked straight ahead again. "I neither like nor dislike Naruto-san. She's my brothers friend and she is a very strong kunoichi. I had my doubts about her loyalty in the beginning because of some of her actions in the past. Her sense of duty is more based on her own moral compass than the orders of her superiors, which made me doubt her." He sent the Uchiha a pointed look here, and Izuna realised he was talking about when she helped protect the Uchiha village. "But so far she's been a good asset and I can't say she's the highest up on my list of worries."

Izuna snorted. "You have a worry list? Mah', you're as pent up as always, maybe you should get yourself a girlfriend."

The glare he received from this made Izuna's whole week.

"You know, I heard the most disgusting thing ever from Naruto once. It was right after the founding of Konoha and we were talking about clans and why everyone within the Uchiha shared the same family name. Naruto then asked what would happen if a Senju and an Uchiha married." Izuna said and still felt that small shiver at the nape of his neck react as the words came out of his mouth.

This time the Senju turned all the way around with a dumbstruck expression which had Izuna nodding sympathetically. "I _know,_ I couldn't say anything either, wanted to throw up at the idea actually."

Tobirama didn't answer, but it was a while until the look of contempt left his face.

* * *

"I bet fifty they wont even get a hit in." Said Izuna with his arms folded in front of his chest. Standing next to him with a hand on his hip while clutching his gunbai in his right hand was his older brother. It was test day again, and the younger Uchiha had come down to the training field to watch the progress.

"I'm not taking that bet." Answered Madara, looking on as the battle became heated. At least for the attackers. Naruto was barely moving as she dodged their ninjutsu. "No way will they hit her. Naruto is too good."

"Hmmm… I'll take the bet!" Exclaimed Hashirama.

The youngest Uchiha brother grinned evilly back and said. "Deal!"

Madara was smirking and nodded at the proposition. "Deal."

"I think our shinobi will grow from fighting, Naruto. She's very skilled but I've always believed that the next generation will precede the last!" Hashirama said and folded his arms in front of him while nodding at his own words.

"That might be, but those are older than Naruto." Replied Madara and pointed to the two Hyūga and the Yamanaka battling the blonde. They were a team with a variation of abilities at their disposal. None the same, which could make them a very well rounded squad.

"Still..." Said Hashirama uncertainly.

In that instance Naruto sent the Yamanaka flying for the hills while the other two attacked from each side. She kicked the man in the face while punching the girl in her stomach. Making them both fall backwards and groaning in pain.

"Come on! Get serious guys. If you don't come at me with the intention to kill there's no way you will get these bells from me." She sang and held up the two silver bells. She was glowing in yellow chakra flames from top to toe and it was always amusing to see their first reaction to her unique technique. "Maybe I should do like my old sensei and read while you flounder around. Maybe you'd get a hit in at least." Naruto taunted and grinned evilly at the Yamanaka who was growing furious as he got back to his feet.

"Who was Naruto's sensei?" Asked Izuna the Hokage and his brother.

"Hmmm… She told me once.. But I can't remember the name." Said Hashirama and shrugged.

"Kakashi." Answered Madara. "Don't think it was for long, though… Sounded like it was just for a few months sometime before we met her." Madara said as the woman sent an eight trigrams vacuum palm at Naruto. She jumped and twirled around the air pressure with a rough grace.

Madara wondered sometimes if she really had a technique, or was just blindly following her own luck. Or maybe it was instincts.

"They work well together, though. I think If they had been against someone less skilled they would have been doing very well." Said Hashirama encouragingly.

"That's more than skill Hokage-sama. She's freaking powerful." Muttered Izuna and looked over at the two men next to him. _'Even better then either of you two.'_ He thought frowning as he looked back down at her.

"I always wonder where she learned it all." Said Madara, voicing Izuna's thoughts. Hashirama shrugged.

"She must have learned a lot by being all on her own in such dangerous areas. And she also..." Hashirama trailed off. Remembering that Izuna should not know about the kyūbi.

"Still… Someone must have taught her something. She's using a lot of recognisable techniques at times. Wind bullets, wind hurricane, earth boulder and the water jet. I doubt she learned that on her own. It must have been a very efficient sensei who taught her all that." Said Izuna watching Naruto dodge the Senju and using him as a throwing devise against the Uchiha shinobi.

"Naruto probably picked up a lot in Uzushiogakure." Answered the Hokage.

Madara's brow furrowed and he muttered quietly. "In that case she was very productive, she even learned fuinjutsu there as well. Not to mention learning elemental ninjutsu in the first place, she had already mastered wind before we met her. That Kakashi must have been a very good teacher."

"I am sure if we ask us she'll tell us." Answered Hashirama and cheered on as the Hyūga woman and the Yamanaka finally started making Naruto back away as they worked together against her.

"You're supposed to stay impartial, Hashirama." Muttered Madara and rolled his eyes as the Hokage grew ecstatic when the team started working together against Naruto. He didn't heed the Uchiha, and continued his whooping as the Yamanaka almost managed to get a kick in Naruto's side while the Hyūga's distracted her.

"They're good. I hope we can keep them as a team." Stated Madara and started writing down some notes on his notepad, resting his gunbai against his shoulder while he scribbled.

At that moment Hashirama yelled when a wind slicer finally hit it's mark, and Naruto was thrown backwards.

"Pay up!" Hashirama exclaimed while gloating.

"Believe in our shinobi, my ass… you just wanted to win the bet." Muttered Izuna, but handed over the money along with Madara.

"I should have known better. Hashirama is uncanny when it comes to luck." Said Madara. "You're should take more care though. You might end up with a gambling problem the way you keep betting on things, Hashirama."

Naruto got to her feet and brushed off the dust from her shoulders. "Don't underestimate us!" Shouted the Hyūga woman as she got into formation G with her team mates.

Naruto grinned. "Well, you finally hit me. Good! Now you should try taking these bells!" She shouted as the three of them pelted towards her.

When Madara called it quits an hour later the team still hadn't gotten the bells. It was the third day of testing, with three teams each day. One in the morning, noon and evening with some time in between each group so Naruto could recover.

The blonde was understandably always a little more tired in the evening, and it was also the only time Hashirama had time to observe since he was usually busy in the office.

Madara was responsible for the forces, the jōnin commander as they had dubbed it, so he had to observed all of them go through the test while scribbling down notes.

Not that he minded, it was quite fun watching Naruto waltz all over them. Even when Katsu had gotten beaten during his test, Madara had a hard time hiding his amusement.

As the last team of the day was about to leave they got a few words of encouragement from Hashirama and Naruto. So they left with their egos a little less bruised than you would have expected after being beaten by someone who half the time acted like knuckle head.

Hashirama and Izuna went back with them as they talked about their battle with the Namikaze, while Naruto came up to the platform Madara had been sitting on for the last couple of hours.

"They got a hit in! That's the first of this set of testing. And they work well together. There was some discomfort at first between them, but after a little while they really got their acts together. I'd say they are the best ones emotionally suited for each other as of yet, dattebayo!" She said excitedly and gestured towards the retreating backs.

"Yes, I agree. They did a good job." Madara answered and looked down at his note filled pad. "My, this is boring work though. I wouldn't mind switching with you..." He muttered and rested his chin on his fist and smiled up at her.

"You can't." Said Naruto and smiled teasingly back at him. "I was chosen because I'm awesome, dattebayo!" She said and pointed to herself.

"You were originally chosen because you're neutral, and not member of any clan." He retorted and she stuck her tongue out at him. "You act like a five year old sometimes, Naruto. When will you grow up, huh?" He asked and chuckled as she pouted.

"Come on, we need to get this done before it gets too late. I'd like to go through the notes and write down the documents before it gets too late, thank you very much."

He sighed as Naruto sat down in front of him. Grabbing a quill from the stand and stealing a few papers from his notepad she started writing down her own opinions of the last team while Madara filled out the necessary forms. Wondering where the hell they were going to store all this crap later on.

They worked in silence for half an hour before Naruto started getting restless. He'd wondered how long she would last today. She had the attention span of a butterfly and Madara was rather impressed she had managed to concentrate for so long today as it was.

"Neh, Madara. Do you have anything to eat? That battle got my appetite up, dattebayo." She moaned and started rubbing her stomach.

"You should have thought about that beforehand, Naruto. You've done this for a year already and you always get hungry each time. Aren't you supposed to learn from your mistakes?" He said while filling out Yamanaka Kenji's earth release abilities and his own rating of how potent it was on a scale from one to ten. Their clan mind transfer technique worked badly against someone as fast as Naruto, they could never catch her, so they had been forced to use other forms of combat moves.

"By how much did Kenji miss you by again? When he tried to hit you with the earth eruption?" Asked Madara, stopping Naruto's verbal assault at him for being so rude.

"Argh! You're not listening to me at all are you? I don't know. Two meters? I was dodging Hiro-chan at the time, and aren't you the one supposed to have the eye tracking ability?" She fired back annoyed at his lack of response to her colourful nicknames for him.

"-chan?" He asked with one eye brow raised and smiling crookedly back at her.

"Yes, she's really nonchalant you know? It sort of reminds me of Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke." She muttered and leaned backwards.

"You're not the one to use honorific, not usually." Replied Madara and continued describing Yamanaka Kenji's earth release technique.

"Sasuke?" Asked Madara curiously, changing the topic since Naruto didn't go into detail about her honorific use. It was also because she never talked much about her past, most he'd heard was through Hashirama, who again had heard it from Uzumaki Mito. A woman who liked her gossip it seemed.

They sat for a few seconds without Naruto replying. The Uchiha leader looked up when she remained silent and watched curiously at her suddenly strained face.

"What? Why aren't you replying? Who is Sasuke? Kakashi was your teacher for a while, right?" He asked and watched as she grimaced for each name he said aloud. Naruto was truly terrible at keeping her emotions controlled sometimes.

"They're gone. It doesn't matter." She answered and started reading through her notes with renewed concentration.

"Why can I tell that's a very badly concealed lie?" Asked Madara, annoyed by her evasiveness. As children she'd talked his ears off about anything that crossed her mind.

"Drop it. It's none of your business, Madara." She hissed back and her hand clutched so hard around the quill it snapped in two. Swearing she grabbed the next one and started writing vigorously. Studying her closely he concluded that she told the truth when she said they where gone, and that her sudden mood swing was sadness, or anger… It was hard to be sure.

"You never talk about your past." He pressed on.

"Drop it."

"We should know more, you're a resident of Konoha now. We should know more about where you came from."

Looking up with a sarcastic look she sneered. "Do you not trust me?" It looked all wrong on her. Her face was always so open and at ease, happy or serious, it didn't matter since her expressions was usually easy to read. Now he couldn't decipher them at all. All he knew was that the subject upset her in some way or another.

"You know we do." He answered, his brow furrowing. "But that doesn't change that you know a lot more about us than we do about you. Currently everyone here is being evaluated and tested. Knowing as much about your comrades is key to teamwork. You've said similar things yourself, Naruto. Shouldn't we know about you too?" He said getting seriously worked up.

"Well, I've already told you more than I've told Hashirama. I was an outcast, I'm a jinchūriki and I hate blueberries becau-"

"Stop it. Tell me about Sasuke and Kakashi." He interrupted and looked hard at her.

"Stop butting into other people's business. It's private!" She shouted back.

"We can argue all night for all I care. You're the one who has to battle tomorrow without sleep."

"Wouldn't be the first time!" She growled back and her eyes turned to cold, hard ice.

The comeback stopped in Madara's throat as the killing intent flowed over him. It was so lethal and intense his skin erupted in goosebumps and he froze on the spot.

They stared at each other for a whole minute before Naruto calmed down. Her pulse had quickened and her breathing had gotten harder than at any point during her many spars the last couple of days.

Teeth still gritting hard, she forcibly started writing down notes again. Getting irritated, Madara snapped the paper out of her hands.

"Give it back." She said without looking up at him.

"What is your problem? I'm trying to help you here." He replied, just as controlled as she was being. Which meant not at all.

"You can help me by shutting the hell up and do your work. Give it back." Naruto said and reached her hand out towards him. He kept holding the notes out of reach.

"Why will you not tell me?"

"It has nothing to do with you." But Madara saw that was not entirely true. Her eyes shifted as she said it.

"You're lying."

"I'm not. Sasuke…" She trailed off without completing the sentence.

"Then tell me."

"I'll attack you if you don't give it a rest."

"I don't care."

And then she was on him, her fist firmly planted into his cheek.

Flying of the edge of the platform he fell hard to the ground, somehow still clutching her notes, making her jump down after him. Landing with one foot on each side of him while he tried to scramble back up into a sitting position.

She didn't speak as she snapped the paper out of his hand, ripping it in two in the progress which ticked her off even more.

Not thinking it through, he attacked back. His arms closing in around her waist as he threw her backwards. They rolled a few times before Naruto got her feet against his stomach and kicked him away.

Landing firmly at a safe distance he started doing the great fire ball technique as she did the earth dragon bullet. The ninjutsu's collided mid distance, and the noise of the collision howled through the silent night.

As the smoke cleared he heard a fierce screeching sound from Naruto's position, and the smoke was whirled away as he saw what she was doing. In her hand was a rasenganshuriken technique, making a horrid sound that sent shivers down his spine.

Their eyes met and suddenly the hateful look went away. The ninjutsu faulted and disappeared. She looked away when Madara exclaimed his anger. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?"

He was actually sweating, he was sure for a moment Naruto had intended to kill him, which was different from anyone else of the shinobi trying to do it since she could actually manage it.

"I'm.. sorry, Madara. I just don't… I can't talk about it." She said and turned her back to him.

Walking carefully forwards until he stood behind her, he touched her shoulder. "You can't talk about it? Or is it me you can not tell?" He asked cautiously.

"I can not tell anyone, Madara. It's nothing to tell… Just another war story." She answered without showing any notice of his clutching hand so close to her throat.

He didn't answer at once, only let his hand wrap around her throat threateningly.

"You just attacked the Uchiha clan head, Naruto. You're forgetting your place. Now tell me the fuck what this is about. I can't trust you not to attack anyone else if this comes up again." Madara growled, freaked out while his mind replayed Naruto's last actions. Could she really have gone through with it? Killing him? The immediate answer he came up with was no, but her actions had said otherwise.

She looked back over her shoulder, and the light disappeared from her eyes as if a switch had been turned off. More than any killing intent she'd aimed at him, this scared him far more.

"Sasuke… was always cold on the outside too." She said motionlessly. "He died, and I miss him. Same with Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said while looking back with that empty uncharacteristic look on her features. Madara slackened his hold and let his hand drop to his side.

"You.. miss them? That's why you attacked? You just tried to kill me, Naruto." He accused her.

"I lost my head and I'm sorry. It wont happen again. I would never… I would never do that." She said and some emotion came back into her voice.

Madara sighed and stepped back with his hands on his hips. "I think this is one of those cases where you need to talk to someone about it. I always unload my crap on Izuna. I guess Hashirama has his own brothers. But you seem to be as tight lipped as a concrete wall. So I'm all ears. I'm yours for as long as you need someone to listen." He said seriously.

A small smile appeared on her lips as she looked back at him. Her expression softening as she became herself again. "This is… something I can never tell you all about, Madara. But thank you, I appreciate it all the same." She said sadly, her voice steady as she tried to silently convey that she need him to stop asking.

"That's not how it has to be, Naruto. Just… tell me." Madara replied and brushed a hand through his hair, looking down at her face which still looked troubled.

He did not know exactly when he had decided to do it, but without halting he swooped down and caught her lips with his own.

Maybe he was trying to show her how it should be - it was the only excuse he had come up with afterwards at least.

He wondered if she felt what he felt in that moment. If her sensor abilities could tell what he wanted. His longing for her, the want to have her, and his hate that she couldn't return his feelings.

In that moment, just like last time so long ago, she kissed him back. Seemingly just as lost in whatever this was.

Opening his mouth he felt her tongue enter it, battling with his own for dominance as he leaned into her. Pressing her body as tightly to him as he could. One arm closed around her shoulders, the other around her torso.

While clutching his sweater with both hands, holding him to her, she dared him to move away with her actions alone.

Madara vaguely remembered this feeling. This light headed sensation that made everything else seem less important as his tongue greedily battled with hers, wanting nothing more than to consume her. Make her submit.

This time it was different, this time it wasn't just a growing crush where he tested out his hypothesis. He wanted her. Right now. Naked. Always. He wanted her as his lover just as much as he wanted her next to him on the battlefield. Wanted others to know she was his, but most of all wanting her to want him.

Breathing heavily, she pushed away from him. For a moment all that could be heard was their escalated breathing, as thousands of emotions swirled through her eyes as they looked at each other. One more confusing to Madara than the next.

"No… Madara, I can't. Not with you, not with anyone. I've chosen to live in solitude." Madara couldn't help the surprise that lit up his face at her words.

"What? You live in Konoha! Your days of solitude is over, Naruto. What the hell is the problem with this? You already know I love you, can you not love me back?" He asked as his hands tightened around her upper arms where he held her in place. Scared she'd run out on him. He'd never had her around for this long before Konoha. Before she'd drifted in and out of his life like a passing breeze, impossible to control and he was just one of many she grazed on her travels. He wanted to keep her here with him. Somehow anchor the wind to him, ridiculous though it sounded.

"… I mean _me_ … I mean _I_ wont be with _anyone._ Not even you, Madara. As a jinchūriki..." She trailed off uncertain how to explain to him her conviction. "It would never work. We drive each other crazy most of the time."

"Do you love me?" He pressed on, ignoring her weak arguments. He'd heard this line before, but the arguments were growing less significant to him. They sounded more like an excuse than a reason, and Madara was sure she felt something for him. Naruto had let him kiss her, which spoke volumes in itself. She'd even kissed him back.

"It's not about that. It's about me not being… Right. I can't be-" But she was interrupted as he pulled her back to him. His lips met hers again and abruptly moved away.

"Do you not love me, Naruto? Just answer the fucking question!"

She hesitated as she tried to find the right words. "I might... I do... but that doesn't change the fact that we will never be together like that. I choose this long ago. I'm so sorry, and I never wanted you to feel like this for me. I'm never going to-" She was cut off by Madara's angry lips assaulting her own yet again, and just like the last peck he gave her Madara stopped the kiss quickly to stare her down.

"I don't care what you've deluded yourself into believing. I want you, and I now know you want me. Do you not see that there's nothing in our way now? Konoha is being built. As long as there isn't a husband you haven't told me about then what is the problem?" He retorted, resting his forehead against hers.

"You teme… It's not about anyone else, but about me. I shouldn't be here." She shot back calmly and angrily at the same time.

"You've said that before, but I don't understand what that means." Madara murmured and stole another quick kiss before she could bite his lip off in annoyance. But her resolve was visibly dissolving. She was leaning into his touch, her hands resting against his chest while she tried and failed to fight him on this matter.

"I should never have met you… I should never have met anyone here. I should be... dead." Naruto muttered softly.

Madara understood she meant it, he really did, but couldn't find it in him to care what Naruto's excuse was. This was somehow not about either of them, just some misguided feeling on her part that her past made her unsuitable for him.

Whatever it was could go screw itself.

Madara would take whatever he could get from her. He would take Naruto even if meant taking advantage of her. He had stood on the sideline for too long and it was time he showed her what could be if she just gave in.

"I'm glad you aren't. Shut up for once. If you're not going to tell me the truth, or the whole truth at least. Then just enjoy it." He whispered and closed the space between them for a final time.

And for once, she somewhat listened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Well… another heated scene, I swear they never get easier to write. I can't seem to do mushy romance very well, so they have to be at each others throat for it to somewhat work… Oh, well… Sort of fits since both Madara and Naruto is too stubborn in their causes for their own good.


	21. Black Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains violence.

  **Chapter twenty –** **Black Hole**

_A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can occur when a star is dying._

* * *

Waking up feeling sore, Naruto noticed instantly the naked man next to her as she sat up. Madara was asleep as she considered either getting the hell away from here, or beating him up.

The latter won out as she kicked him in the leg.

"Oy!" He exclaimed as he was rudely woken. Sitting up and rubbing his thigh he glared over at her before noticing she was as naked as he was.

They were covered enough from people accident passing by because of the surrounding trees. The new day seemed close since the sky was starting to brighten. The angry woman was however not interested in neither the dawn nor the threat of anyone walking in on them in this state.

"What the hell? Do you not know how to wake people the normal way?" He asked grumpily as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. His hair was knotted terrible, and felt like Naruto's hair looked. Like a tornado had run through it.

"You jackass. I can't believe I slept with you. What the hell did you do? Put a genjutsu on me?" Naruto growled and got to her feet and stomped away.

"What? How dare you accuse me of that? You where more then willing, I can assure you. You more or less asked me t-" She whirled around with her pants clutched in her right hand as she pointed threateningly back at him. Her face was as red as a tomato as she promised him a long and painful death without uttering a single word.

Reaching for his own clothes he took a different approach. "I still have no idea why this is such a big deal. We love each other. Having sex isn't that unusual when such things occur." He muttered as he pulled the sweater over his head.

"I already told you. I choose solitude! This wasn't supposed to happen!" She said still beat red.

"Why? I don't get it. is it the out of marriage thing? We could get married today if you want. I'm not going for anyone else you know. I can be stubborn that way." He said as he turned back to the now gaping girl.

"Wh- what? No! I'm not marrying you! I'm not marrying anyone, dattebayo! That's sort of the point! And anyway, I might not be the most traditional girl but even I can tell that was a horrible proposal! Never propose to a girl when she is pissed out of her mind at you, that is the worst way you can go about it!" Naruto snapped back, while Madara finally had tracked down all his garments and was fully clothed as he put on his last sandal. Getting to his feet with his hand on his hip he sighed. Walking over while she kept close eyes on him, he stopped right in front of her.

"Naruto. This… Problem?" He said the last word as a question before continuing. "It's all in your head. Get over it and it'll be better for the both of us." He said and roughed up her hair even more. Dodging her slap he chuckled. More relaxed then he'd been in a while. "Stop fighting it. We're a great team you and me. We both know it." He added playfully. Naruto huffed and turned her back on him.

"This.. This is not continuing. I'm sorry, Madara. You have no idea how much, but us. It just… won't work out." She said and peaked over her shoulder at him with sad eyes that stopped him from retorting with his original intended insult.

"And you still wont explain why?" He said instead, crossing his hands in front of him.

"No, not now at least." She answered frowning.

"Fine. Have it your way then. When you have come to your senses let me know." he muttered and marched past her. Embarrassingly hurt by her rejection as he walked away.

Naruto felt her heart twist in her chest as he disappeared amongst the trees. The sun had by now just come up over the edge of the horizon, the grey cloudy morning just starting as she stood back alone in the forest. She was a little uncertan how they'd even ended up here, Naruto remembered clearly they had been by the training ground when _it_ started.

She looked down while she gathered her senses again.

Madara… It just couldn't be. Especially not him. The risk was just too high. While he could be a close friend, being with him in _that_ way was too much. Too intense and too overwhelming. She understood that better than ever now.

Cursing Kurama's infection on her the night before for making her so fucking horny, she stomped after Madara. Making sure there was a far enough distance between them, as they both headed back to Konoha. Madara loved her, she had felt it clearly last night. But she couldn't afford to get sidetracked again like that.

This was something she had to do at all cost. Being with Madara was also an insult to her friends after what his counterpart had done in her own time. Her friends who died and what the world turned into. Even though he was changed here, was a better man and a precious friend she would fight for on the same end of a battle with. Naruto had fought for Sasuke once, she couldn't help her guilt. Kurama was disagreeing with her, but she ignored him as she pondered her own record breaking stupidity.

Everything she'd done up to now was for the future. This was nothing more then a missed step on the stairs leading to her goal. From now she would do better.

* * *

They didn't speak a word to each other for many days. The first to break the award silence was Naruto who never had dealt with that sort of things very well. So she asked him if he was finished with the ink bottle since hers was empty on the sixth day of their evaluations. No one had gotten a hit on her again after _that night_ as she had started addressing the occurrence in her mind.

If Hashirama had noticed something, he didn't say anything. But after a little while things went back to normal, and there was nothing to notice.

A few months later Hashirama halted the council after one of their meetings to invite them all over for dinner that evening at seven. Everyone accepted, but was weary when they discovered Hashirama would be the cook himself. "Em... Brother, I know you mean well, but maybe I should help you with this?" Said Tobirama after Hashirama had told him not to come before the set time.

Tobirama had his own house now, while Itama still lived with Hashirama but the teenager was considering getting his own place now these days.

"No, no! You're a guest like everyone else, Tobirama! I can do this. You just come and enjoy the dinner, brother!" The Hokage said confidently while Naruto and Izuna looked sceptically at each other, but eventually they all agreed to show up for a home made meal.

As she walked towards the Hokages house she heard Izuna calling her name from behind her. Turning she noticed the Uchiha brothers only a few metres behind her. "Yo, Naruto!" Exclaimed the youngest as they caught up with her. "I don't know if this is something I'm looking forwards to or not." Izuna chuckled as they walked up the streets together.

"I know… Hashirama is as bad as I am when it comes to cooking." Naruto muttered, already dreading the risk of getting food poison if he had groceries out of date put into the meal by mistake. Izuna laughed but realised that she was actually telling him the truth.

"Oh! Sorry, I thought you where joking. Seriously? Didn't you live by yourself for ages? How can you not know how to cook yet?" He asked while Madara walked mute and expressionless next to him.

"I know how to hunt and what's edible. I stopped being picky a long time ago. Anyway, there is no such things as seasoning when you live from hand to mouth." Naruto answered and shrugged casually.

"I guess… Still, I'm an awesome cook. I could teach you a few tricks if you like?" He offered and looked over at Madara who seemed uninterested. "Madara isn't much of a cook either. I'm sure he would forget to eat if I didn't remind him three times a day." He said and chuckled at his brother's frown.

"You've never tasted my cooking, how would you know if it was bad?" Retorted Madara.

"My point exactly." Said Izuna and winked to Naruto. Shaking her head back and fourth they arrived in front of Hashirama's house, and Izuna stepped up and knocked.

Not two seconds later the door opened by the inhabitant. "You're on time! Great! Come in, come in!" He exclaimed and stepped aside to let them in.

Getting inside they were met by Tobirama, Itama and to Naruto's surprise and delight; Mito and Kurou.

As they waited for dinner Naruto latched herself onto the two Uzumaki. Wanting to know everything they'd been up to in the months they had been separated since their last visit to Konoha about three months ago. After an hour Hashirama told them to sit down.

To Naruto and Madara's discomfort they ended up next to each other with Kurou on Naruto's other side. She decided to focus on the red head whenever people started talking again.

Hashirama seemed to have used a lot of energy on the meal, since everything was edible and even some of it good. Half way through the meal Hashirama coughed and got everyone's attention as he prepared to say something.

"Thank you everyone, for coming tonight. I have to admit there is another reason other then feeding our stomachs and joining as friends behind the invitations though." He said and smiled to all of them. "We have not told anyone except Ashina-dono Mito's parents and the Uzu council this yet. So you are the first within Konoha we have the pleasure of telling. I am exciting to tell you that Mito has agreed to becoming my wife." He said, smiling so widely at the red head next to her the whole room was infected.

"Congratulations, brother." Said Tobirama with a knowing smile.

"About time big brother!" Laughed Itama.

"Congratulations to you both. I'm sure you will have a happy life together." Said Izuna.

"You two were dating?" Asked Naruto confused. She knew they had been married in the other time line, but she had not noticed they had started a relationship at all.

The congratulatory comment died in Kurou's and Madara's mouth as everyone looked exasperated back at Naruto.

"Sometimes, Naruto, I wonder how the world looks like through your eyes. It seems you can completely block out anything you don't find interesting. Yes, Hashirama and I have seen each other for over a year now." Said Mito but chuckled at the thunderstruck expression on Naruto's face.

"Hey! How could you not have told me that! I mean straight out, in clear sentences! I can't guess those kinds of things, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed in protest while the others laughed. Everyone except Madara who Naruto was painfully aware was sitting right next to her, and staring a bullet hole into the side of her head.

"Oh, Naruto. It's a good thing you have good instincts during battle. Your observation skills can be worse then a child at times." Said Izuna teasingly.

"Putting Naruto's unobservable qualities aside, I wish to congratulate you, Hashirama. I'm glad you found someone who's willing to put up with all your nonsense at last." Madara said with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"You're one to talk." Muttered Izuna.

"Yes, sister. I wish you all the happiness in the world. Even though I'm not thrilled you'll be moving so far away." Said Kurou and straightened his glasses.

"Why did you take so long, brother? I've been waiting for the announcement for a year!" Exclaimed Itama and leaned forwards in his seat.

"It's not a walk in the park to convince Ashina-dono to let his granddaughter leave Uzu, Itama." Said Tobirama and rolled his eyes.

"Oh… Right… But Naruto lived there too. And she left with barely any notice at all. She's family too right?" He said and looked towards the blond.

Smiling back she winked. "Yes, but I'm awesome when I want to convince someone to let me go."

Madara snorted.

"Hah! I agree with Madara!" Exclaimed Mito with mirth. "Grandfather is always pestering me about bringing you back. He's less insistent after he heard you joined Konoha, but I still think he wish you'd come back for good." She chuckled at the grimace Naruto gave and the words of denial that followed.

"Neh', I love all the Uzumaki's to pieces but my home is in Konoha, and anyway, this about you and Hashirama, Mito! When will you get married? Will there be a ceremony? I've never seen a wedding ceremony you know, just the after party. In fact, I have absolutely no idea how it works, dattebyo." She said and leaned forwards. Intent on diverting the focus away from herself and to not look at Madara for another three days.

"Oh! We were thinking that a summer wedding would be great, and we are planning on having it here in Konoha. Grandfather wasn't happy about that, but he'll come around." Mito started gushing while Naruto paid attention with everything she got. For the first time in her life immensely interested in what was called 'girl talk.'

From the corner of her eye she noticed Madara leaned back with a sarcastic smile, shaking his head slowly from side to side.

* * *

With a quick and precise jab of his chokutō, Izuna cut off the head of his enemy. It landed with a hollow 'thunk' against the stony ground, making a bloody wound into the forehead of the detached scull.

"Good work." Commented Katsu as he sealed away his own target who had been killed by a stab through the heart. They had just annihilated two lightning country shinobi who the daimyō wanted dead. Izuna had no idea what they'd done to get their bounty so high, but they were an easy kill, and neither he nor Katsu had suffered any injuries, in fact, Izuna could have gone alone and the result would have been the same.

"Seal him up and we'll get going." Ordered Izuna as he dried of the blood from his blade, he didn't want it to start rusting, and that meant you had to be a hygiene freak when it came to your weapons.

With a heave Katsu dragged Izuna's victim over to the scroll he wanted him sealed within, the head left behind to be gathered afterwards. He was a big guy, and neither were surprised by how heavy he was to move. The corpse left a streak of blood colouring the fresh green grass red but neither cared as long as they didn't get it on their clothes. Blood could be a bitch to wash out.

"You think this will be a pretty wedding present for our dear Hokage, Izuna?" Said Katsu suddenly and raised the severed head.

His eyebrow raised as he took in Katsu's sneer and demeanour. The older Uchiha still wasn't completely on board with the alliance, he would never do anything to oppose them, but still trusted the Senju as much as he did the dirt under his sandals.

"You might want to drain it of any gore first. I'm sure the bride wouldn't appreciate brain matter over her dress." Replied Izuna and smiled wickedly back to his friend. When it was just the two of them they had a habit of doing this. Just banter and bad mouth the Senju just to get rid of some steam.

"Now we're talking." Smiled Katsu and dropped the head onto the body which lay ready for sealing. It was a quick process of cleaning off, now they just needed to bring the corpse to the capital and get their payment.

As they started walking towards the capital they shared experiences about their latest kill, not that three was much to discuss, they'd been very weak. Picking up their pace Katsu asked if Izuna was actually going to the wedding ceremony for the Senju-Uzumaki wedding. It was well known that only close family should be percent for those sort of things.

"Yeah, I think it's more about the fact that Madara has been forced to go, something about being like a brother to Hashirama. Not sure exactly how he managed to convince him, probably sulked until he got his way. I'm just going to not be impolite anyway." Summarized Izuna as they finally reached the boarders of the endless forest, coming out on the field leading up to the mountains.

"Hn." Muttered Katsu and rolled his eyes. Knowing exactly how much the Hokage of Konoha could mope until he got his way.

"But you're coming to the reception, aren't you? I think everyone within Konoha has been invited." Asked the youngest. Katsu shrugged and ran on without answering for a while.

"Yes... I shouldn't do anything that can damage the alliance I guess..."

* * *

With a sigh Izuna looked over at his brother who was sharpening his kama with vigour, the stone clutched in his hand dragging along the blade edge so hard Izuna wondered how on earth it hadn't snapped yet.

"You're going to ruin that if you're not careful." Said the younger brother with one eyebrow raised. His sibling gave him one look that told him clearly that he was already aware of that fact, before resuming his activity.

"I've also noted you're a bit bad tempered these days."

"Hn." Was all Madara replied without looking up.

Izuna strolled over to where he sat on the ground. They were by the falcon turf where Madara had trained Mamuro earlier, and was now fixing his weapons before heading back to Konoha. "And now you're starting to sound like Katsu, big bro."

The Uchiha didn't react much, but Izuna imagined he was rolling his eyes somewhere underneath that hair of his. It was pointless to ask Madara to start putting his hair in a ponytail like Izuna himself did. Both his brother and Hashirama had a habit of just letting it grow wherever it wanted without caring.

"Let me guess what's bothering you… It's about Hashirama and Mito's wedding isn't it?" Izuna guessed, his pointing finger resting against his chin as if in deep thoughts.

His brother snorted, and Izuna knew that meant he was disagreeing.

"You didn't let me finish, big bro. I mean, this is about the fact you can't take the girl you want to their wedding." He explained and let his hands spread wide, clearly indicating he'd just solved the mystery of life. The Uchiha leader looked doubtfully up at him then, and the younger sibling rejoiced internally at the expression.

Izuna ignored it and ploughed on. "Naruto wont say yes to going with you because of some stupid reason, and while you don't care about having a date to the wedding per say, you also don't like the idea of her going with someone else. Am I right?"

Again his darling brother refrained from answering, he just returned to his activity while silently brooding. "Do not worry, big bro. You're favourite sibling will fix this for you, so this means you owe me one." And with that said Izuna marched away with his head high and a confident demeanour, his brother watching confused as he left.

* * *

It was pretty late in the evening when Naruto was abruptly dragged through the streets of Konoha by a very agitated Mito. The blond was not exactly sure what she'd done to receive this treatment, but guessed she'd screwed up with the flower arrangements again.

Coming to the hotel at the end of the street Mito pushed her way through a bunch of people giving congratulatory comment and good wishes. All of them travellers who'd come far distance to watch her get married tomorrow.

The bride to be barely heeded them and led Naruto to the staircase in a hurry, forcing Naruto up the stairs and into her private room.

"Mito, I'm sorry about the flowers, but it's not becoming of a bride to kill her best friend over such trivial things on the eve of her wedding, dattebyo." Naruto complained to the young woman when noticing the haggard look on Mito's face.

"I don't give a damn about the flowers!" Cried Mito and plunged down in a chair in the corner, startling Naruto completely.

Earlier that same day she'd thrown a very well aimed vase at Naruto and shouted for half an hour about her lack of kunoichi skills. "Em… You don't?"

"No! I can't get married, I mean… I love, Hashirama but I can't leave Uzu! It's my home! Grandfather is so right, I am a woman of Uzushiogakure, and I should stay and help my village. What am I doing moving from Uzu?" The Uzumaki started babbling while Naruto's eyebrows raised to her hairline. Okay, that was not what she'd expected the red head to tell her at all.

"Um… Mito, I don't think I'm the best person to talk to about this… Hashirama is one of my best friends, and if your planning on becoming a runaway bride you'll really hurt him, and then I'll have to hurt you, and I don't want to do that since you're my other best friend, dattebyo." Naruto explained and looked uncertainly around the room.

Mito's white Shiro dress was placed in the corner of the room together with her uchikake kimono, which were white and red with beautiful silk bird embroidery.

"Exactly, who would I talk to if not you? You don't care about weddings or clan responsibility and can be objective about this!" She said and suddenly got out of her chair. Walking briskly over to her vanity desk she started rummaging through one of the drawers. A minute later she fished out a bottle of sake and Naruto groaned.

"Sit! I need your advise right now." She ordered and Naruto plopped herself down on the bed while Mito found glasses for the alcohol. It was going to be a late night…

"I've been thinking, while Hashirama is the love of my life and all that, Uzu is you now, my soul. I have to protect it, but from tomorrow I'll be a kunoichi of Konoha instead. It just doesn't add up in my head anymore, I just wish Hashirama had been born in Uzu, then none of this would be a problem." She complained while taking a big gulp of sake. Almost emptying the glass.

For a moment Naruto was reminded strongly of Tsunade, Mito's granddaughter, and had to refrain from laughing.

"Well, you know best what is good for you, but you already accepted his proposal. The fact that you would have to move has to have entered your mind before now, right?" Naruto asked and accepted the beverage of clear liquid Mito pushed into her hand.

"Off course! I've been wondering about this ever since we started seeing each other, but Naruto, it really only dawned on me this morning. Could you leave all your friends behind? Your home and..." She trailed off uncertainly. "I guess you don't really understand do you? You've moved so much and haven't really belong anywhere before Konoha, and that is still so new. To grow up and love a village is... It's such a big part of you, the people, the nature, the customs. It becomes-"

"A part of you." Finished Naruto knowing where she was heading. The bride to be looked up into her eyes with nerves etched into them. A wave of sympathy washed through Naruto as she watched her best friend dilemma being unfolded.

"Yes..."

"I couldn't. Konoha is something I've dreamed off for so long. In a way the village is the love of my life and my soul at the same time." Replied Naruto honestly. She could never imagine herself living anywhere but Konoha. She'd dealt with being homeless, but it all was for the sake of one day returning to her home.

"Mito, we are different, unlike me you are pretty sane. I get obsessive over things, I can't give up when I put my mind to a cause, and Konoha was one of them. Never have I gone off that path, and never have I wavered. But you have, you are torn between Hashirama and Uzu because you love them both. Think of it this way instead. If you stay in Uzu you will be able to protect your village but loose the love of your life. But if you stay with Hashirama, you will have the love of your life and protect Uzu in a different way. You will create a very solid bond between our two villages. And anyway, who said you could never go back? If Uzu needed help I'm sure you would be allowed to go." Explained Naruto and watched as Mito let her words sink in.

"You have a point..." Muttered Mito uncertainly, but not as upset as she'd been earlier.

"And anyway, you'd be poor help to Uzu after I'm finished with you for leaving, Hashirama. I can be pretty hard on those who hurts my friends." Naruto teased, and laughed as Mito slapped her for being such a brute.

* * *

Naruto was dressed in her newly purchased kimono and hating it. The dress was so tight she could hardly move at all, and missed her normal clothing with longing.

The wedding started in half an hour and Mito would probably kill her for being so late after everything they'd been talking about just hours ago. However, it wasn't Naruo's fault she had such a late night the blonde for once actually overslept. It had taken four hours to calm the red head down, and soothe all her worries. By then even Naruto had started getting affected by the alcohol, and felt dizzy when she stumbled home.

On the other hand, her date was late too, so she could always blame it on him. They were supposed to meet outside on the street, and from her living room window she had a good view of it. He was not there yet.

Trying to flatten her uncontrollable spiky bangs and tighten the bun at the back of her head at the same time Naruto felt very edgy.

All day she'd felt a twinge in her stomach, and had vaguely wondered if she'd gotten food poisoned yesterday from the hurried meal she'd made for herself and Mito. Naruto hoped desperately she wouldn't have to run to the loo in the middle of the ceremony.

She had just somehow gotten her sandals on, a very difficult feat, since she could barely bend in the blasted garment, when someone knocked on the door.

Feeling oddly excited she stumbled to the entrance, it was troublesome to walk with such short steps, and the stupid sandals were not helping in the slightest.

Opening the door she smiled broadly, and was met by black eyes and unruly black spiky hair of the young man who'd be her date for the evening. "Naruto, you look really beautiful." He said after a moment of silence, somewhat awestruck by her appearance.

The blonde could understand his surprise, Naruto had never really tried to dress up before, and she had to look very different compared to the rough girl he'd come to know. "One minute, I'll be right with you, I just need my purse." She said and turned to go get it.

It was stuffed with shuriken which was the only weapon she could fit into the purse, plus a scroll which contained everything else she might need. Naruto was also a guard today, in case something unexpected happened, like an attack…

As Naruto turned she stumbled on her sandals and fell clumsily. As she stretched out her hands to catch herself she felt two hands close around her waist. "Seriously, Naruto. You completely ruined the effect now. I'll go get it since you're a liability in that kimono. Where is it?" Said the Uchiha and chuckled at her sulky expression once she was straightened up.

Wordlessly she pointed to the living room and he smiled crookedly and walked past her.

Five minutes later they were walking together towards the ceremony being held in the shrine at the boarders of the village.

A lot of people were casting them curious looks, and Naruto was regretting coming with the Uchiha. She was under the impression it would help not draw attention to go with someone for the reception afterwards, sine most would, but apparently going with such a high profile ninja had the opposite effect. She was also unsure why he'd insisted on picking her up at all.

"We'll have to hurry, or we'll be later then the bride and groom." Said Naruto trying to walk quicker, but the damned kimono just wouldn't allow for such things. So instead she started moving her feet in fast, short spaced steps. Looking like a hamster on a running wheel as she tried to up the speed. Her date laughed loudly and suddenly swept her off her feet.

"This will help." He told her, and before Naruto could curse his existence properly he took off running.

In two minutes they were outside the chapel, a small group of people already there waiting outside. She could see Mito's parents, Ashina, Kurou and Hachirou standing with Tobirama and Itama, plus Madara standing out of place in a corner.

"Good thinking! We actually made it!" Cried Naruto as she was sat down on the ground again. She smiled brightly, but then felt killing intent close by.

Her head snapping to the side Naruto noticed Madara and Itama, glaring daggers at her date.

Izuna laughed and held out his arm for Naruto, having noticed the same thing she had. "Come on my lady, we don't want to be late do we?" He said and gave his brother the widest and most innocent smile she'd ever seen on him.

It didn't suit him, and Naruto got the impression the younger Uchiha brother knew more about her and Madara then he'd let on. It clearly was to rile up his brother more then keeping a respectable reputation. Naruto sighed.

"Eh, alright..." She muttered and felt suddenly guilty.

* * *

It was a very nice and intimate ceremony, even if Naruto got a bit bored towards the end. The highlight was definitely when Mito had to drink the sake, and her face which had been carefully made up for the wedding, went a bit green. But as the strong kunoichi she was, she got herself together and drank.

Mito was wearing her white shiro and her hair was put up in two tight buns on each side of her head. Hashirama was wearing his black kimono and they both seemed very happy once the wedding ceremony came to an end.

Clearly Naruto's pep talk the night before must have had some effect, since despite Mito's well hidden hang over, she seemed very content.

Afterwards came the reception which was so filled with people it felt more like a village festival then a wedding feast. Most of the inhabitants were invited, and it had to be held outside since there were no suitable building to house them all.

Naruto sat a next to Izuna and Hachirou during the meal, and most were having a very good time as she looked around at the guests. The blond however was still feeling off. It was a feeling in her stomach that wouldn't leave her as she ate and talked to her table mates.

It wasn't before people started getting up again, and Naruto could finally stretch her legs and go speak to Mito and Hashirama properly. They had been hogged by most of the village, and it had been hard to get a word in at all.

"Congratulations you two! I'm so happy for you." Exclaimed Naruto and hugged Mito tightly, from next to her Hashirama beamed.

"Thank you, Naruto. I'm so glad we talked yesterday." Said Mito and released her.

"Off course, I'm your best friend am I not? It's my job to deal with you when your stressed out." Exclaimed Naruto and Hashirama looked curiously at the both of them, the bride chuckled nervously and then a Nara came over and whisked the groom away to talk. Naruto was pushed away again, and left to find Kurou instead to discuss a new seal she'd been working on.

It was some time later Mito found Naruto again, looking very tired and stayed with her for a while. Greeting and talking to everyone who came up to them until the evening started setting in. By then most people had time to drink a large amount of sake and were getting giddy and less formal. Mito was also certain there were no one left to congratulate her or Hashirama, and had told her husband she'd had a bit too much to drink and needed some space.

Until now Naruto had managed to avoid talking to master Yasu all day, she had briefly greeted him earlier when they arrived the day before for the wedding, but in general she'd tried to go in the opposite direction every time he was close by.

Now however Mito was using her as a support devise, since she was still pretty hungover from the day before and was quickly growing tired. Naruto felt fine except for the twinge in her gut telling her something was off as master Yasu found them at the edge of the table area.

"Dear Mito-chan. Congratulation, I am so happy to see you've made such a good match." He said formally while Naruto tried hard not to grimace at his very presence so close to them. It would only be a matter of time before he'd start insulting her.

"Hashirama-dono and the Senju has been friends of Uzushiogakue for such a long time, it makes me glad to see our clans joining. He's a lucky man, truly." He droned on while Mito tried her hardest to stand straight, and not wince every time her head pounded.

Naruto lost interest in the conversation and was watching the people mixing instead. Kurou and Hachirou were chatting to her squad member Shin, probably sharing mission stories from what Naruto had overheard earlier. Madara was looking very bored at a table together with a number of his clansmen, including Katsu.

Izuna had been ditched by Naruto earlier, and was now sitting alone with Yuko and they looked very cosy from what she could gather. Tobirama was talking with both his brothers while different members of the clans within Konoha came up to them. Keeping him very busy compared to Mito who was exhausted.

The first real signal which truly made her understand something was off was a subtle change of chakra. Nothing too big but enough for Naruto to take notice of it from inside Konoha. Her eyes drifted towards the barrier fence and she froze up.

It was impossible to pinpoint exactly, but she could never mistake that presence, and dread seeped through her veins. She could feel it now. Feel _him_ now. Was this what she'd felt all day? Had it been that fucking inch blotch the whole time? How the hell had she missed this? He was here... In Konoha.

It was obvious now that she concentrated, and she felt angry at herself for not understanding earlier. Had she been so distracted lately she'd stopped paying attention?

Inside her Kurama had woken up properly, Naruto could already feel her eyes changing. _'We can get him this time, brat. We'll hunt him down and trap him.'_

_'Off course.'_ She told the fox with determination.

_'Let's force him away from the village, he might be up to something.'_

"Naruto? Where are you going?" Asked Mito concerned, and the blond realised she'd moved several steps away from her and master Yasu.

"There's something out there." Naruto replied, and cursed as she tried to take a longer step, but were hindered by the fucking kimono.

"Something bad?" Inquired master Yasu, for once not insulting her for giving a vague answer when seeing how tense Naruto had become.

"Black Zetsu." Was all she answered, and then fished up a shuriken from her purse and ripped the side of her clothes from the bottom corner and up to her thigh. She ignored the sound of protest and surprise from the other two, and pelted away.

* * *

Naruto was jumping from tree to tree, her feet going as fast as she could manage, becoming a streak of yellow amongst the dark trees. He was here, he was fucking here! What the hell was he doing in Konoha?

Since she had changed into bijū mode, it was easy to pin point his location. Unfortunately it also meant he could sense her, and he was moving fast away underground, trying to escape.

_'Hurry up brat!'_

_'I am fucking hurrying you blasted fox!'_

_'Over there!'_

"I know!" Naruto growled out loud.

As she threw herself over a particular wide clearing in the forest, and the blond also took notice of the two following her. Mito and master Yasu.

Her concentration had been so focused on black Zetsu she had ignored their presences, but felt a smile grow on her lips. Master Yasu might be an old knuckled geezer, but he was extremely powerful. Together with Mito they could maybe seal this bastard for good.

She didn't slow down, they would find her as long she kept her chakra cloak up, right now catching up to black Zetsu was all that mattered.

Slowly she was gaining in on him, he had turned to the right, probably squeezing through cracks in the earth. Kurama was focusing on gathering nature energy while she ran, it was better to do too much then too little with this creature. Go all out not let any opening unguarded.

"Kage bunshin!" She cried and twelve clones popped into existence all around her. Without any words spoken, they took off in different directions. With fury boiling inside her she felt the twitch in her stomach grow worse, witch meant he was close.

He was now turning even further to the right, almost having led her in a wide circle while she tracked him.

Naruto didn't feel tired anymore, the adrenaline pumping through her making her head light and filled with energy. A killing intent so powerful it would overwhelm anyone flowed out from within her. She thirsted for his death. Wanting him to suffer. There was no mercy within her now.

This devil was going to be destroyed tonight.

And then… Then she's be finished. Then her goal would be reached, and they would be _safe._

It was an amazing feeling to let herself get lost in the idea of revenge, she could understand faintly why Sasuke and Madara had done so in her own time. It was all consuming and felt irreversible. Even if this version of Zetsu really hadn't done anything to anyone she knew, it didn't matter. He had to be destroyed.

The fiery blond burst through the trees, half the branches blasted away because of her speed, all she could think off was catching black Zetsu, and she had him now.

He was right here.

_'Naruto!'_ Cried Kurama suddenly alarmed, and Naruto realized why. Coming to an abrupt stop Naruto stared. Black Zetsu was certainly here, but so was master Yasu and Mito.

The euphoria she had felt at the idea of getting rid of black Zetsu was replaced by disbelief, because Mito just didn't look right anymore.

She had once seen this happen before, as black Zetsu wrapped himself around a victim, engulfing them inside and making itself a part of the other person. If the person was weak enough he could also control them, make them do things they normally wouldn't.

Naruto's whole body felt like ice when she saw the once white bird patterned garment seeped with blood, a kunai thrust into Mito's gut, a black substance shaped as a hand holding the handle firmly, and pressing the blade further into her stomach.

Zetsu had Mito and he was partly merged with her, his head and right arm still hanging out like odd black limbs, but the rest was attached like a leech to the bride.

The old sealing master had frozen in shock, gasping for breath and seemingly too upset to do anything. Mito coughed up blood and was shaking from head to toe, her eyes wide as she watched herself get infiltrated by this unknown creature.

"You… You bastard!" Naruto cried and ran forwards, but with a speed she never thought Yasu capable off, he stood in front of her, blocking her from getting closer.

"No! He'll kill her if we come closer, he said… hy thui fhe" The old man stuttered and mumbling and his right arm which had been stretched out to keep Naruto back fell down.

"Are you hurt?" Asked Naruto, feeling the pain radiating from him.

"No." He said, trying to focus, but clearly not alright.

"He is right, Namikaze. Come one step closer and she is dead." Croaked the black creature with relish, his eyes gliming at seeing her conflict of interests.

It was then Naruto noticed what was wrong with him.

His eyes.

They weren't glowing yellow as she had expected, they were both blood red and swirling as they looked back at her.

"T- the sharingan?!" Naruto cried and pointed shocked at Zetsu. "Where the hell did you get those?!" She shouted getting so angry she was shaking. Should she attack? But he might kill Mito with just a twist of his hand. Could she make it? Would she even be able to seal him? She could use some locking seals, they should create a barrier around him acting like a prison, but then she'd trap Mito inside with him...

"Oh, these? They were a gift from Indra. An old friend of mine." Croaked the inch blotch, and Naruto felt goosebumps run up her spine in contempt. Right before her the red pattern changed, and turned into the mangekyō.

They were different then any mangekyō Naruto had ever seen before. They had a simple spiral pattern similar to the Uzumaki symbol, and they were glaring back at the blond who averted her eyes, looking at where his mouth should be instead, so she wouldn't get caught in any genjutsu.

"Indra..." She repeated, just as a painful moan escaped Mito.

"He, he, he… I am fascinated, Namikaze. Until now I was under the impression you and Hashirama had the same soul, but now that I can see you up closely I understand it isn't so..." He wheezed in that horrible broken tone. She felt sweat gathering on her brow, her vision going red as she felt like tearing black Zetsu into minuscule pieces and put them on fire.

"It's like your soul… Is older… Like… It has experienced more then the one within Senju Hashirama." Mused black Zetsu and suddenly twisted the knife within Mito, making her scream, and both Naruto and Yasu took an automatic step forwards in alarm. Their hands outstretched as if to calm black Zetsu down, but right now he was probably the most relaxed off them all.

"Stay there. I'm going now, and I'll take this one with me so you won't attack. Move at all, and this newly wed bride is dead. When I have finished counting to thirty, you can come get her. One... two..." Hissed the shape and Mito's body were forced to turn and walk away. Her injury enough for black Zetsu to take control of her.

"Three."

By now black Zetsu's head was sticking out of Mito's neck, keeping a watch on the two frozen ninjas as Mito suddenly started running into the darkness.

"Four, five."

"I won't-" Naruto started, but as they dissapered into the forest a scream from Mito silenced her.

"Seven, eight,"

"Mito." Whispered Yasu through his pain, but then he collapsed where he stood, falling awkwardly into a crouch.

Naruto was torn in two, her instincts conflicted as never before.

Save Mito, save Yasu or kill Zetsu? How could she do all three at once?

Acting quickly she bent down and gave Yasu some of her chakra, pumping in a large doze in hopes it would somehow help him while listening to Zetsu in the distance croaking on.

By now he was already at twenty five, and his voice was far away. With a shout she pelted towards their location, her mind having turned into mush as she felt the struggle far, far ahead.

"Thirty!"

Leaves hit her face as Naruto now stumbled through the forest. Already knowing, but not wanting to believe, what she'd find when she reached her goal. Tears mixing with dirt and sweat as she finally came to the clearing and black Zetsu was no where to be seen. She could barely feel him at all. He had escaped.

Only Mito lay behind.

Her throat slit cleanly and mouth still open in a scream which never had been released. Eyes open wide, staring up at the star filled sky, empty and void of life.

Naruto felt like the world was spinning, her eyes unable to leave the face going paler and paler while she watched. This.. just... couldn't be… couldn't be true…

The howl of agony escaping her lips went unheard by anyone else, and Naruto sank to her knees. Clutching her stomach as the pain intensified, no longer able to see or hear anything but the scream ringing inside her mind.

* * *

Hashirama was looking curiously around trying to find his wife. His eyebrows furrowed when he noticed she'd left the table he'd seen her at last. Tobirama was talking with Katsu over by that table, so the Hokage walked over to ask him if he knew anything.

"Tobi, have you seen my lovely wife anywhere?" He asked cheerfully, he had concluded it was very nice to be married, even if he had yet to truly experience it.

"I saw her talking to Naruto-san earlier, Hokage-sama." Replied Katsu in his mellow voice while Tobirama shook his head.

"Okay, have you seen Naruto then?"

"No, but I th-"

Before Tobirama could answer properly he was interrupted. "I think Naruto had something to do, I saw her leave Konoha earlier." Explained Kurou, his brow was furrowed while he looked in the direction of the gates.

"She didn't explain anything, I didn't think too much about it since I was talking to Grandfather at the time."

"Was Mito with her maybe? And when I think about it I haven't seen master Yasu either." Said Hashirama puzzled and looked to his brother. He felt a little concerned, but shook the feeling off. It was his wedding day, so it was probably just his left over nerves about getting married still lingering.

"Could you find her, brother?"

Tobirama nodded and left the towards the gates, calling out to Itama to join him before they disappeared. In that moment Madara came up to him with a bored and clearly annoyed expression.

"I'm leaving, Hashirama. I'm happy for you and all that, but I've had my social quota filled for the entire month." He said and raised his hand. The Hokage took it and smiled warmly back at his friend as they shook hands.

"Thank you for coming, Madara. The day wouldn't have been as good if it wasn't for you being here. But before you go, have you seen my wife?" He asked and looked over his shoulder in the direction his brothers had left.

Madara chuckled and shook his head. "Heh, it's good you're eager to be with her, Hashirama. She's probably just fixing her hair or something. There's no need to hog all her attention right now, you two have the rest of your life ahead together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again so much for reading this story!
> 
> About black Zetsu: In the manga it is known he changed the Uchiha stone tablet, even though he didn't have the sharingan himself. This is my answer to how he managed to do just that. After Indra died, he took his eyes and learned to use them.
> 
> Please forgive me all Mito fans, she's probably the most underrated character in all of the Naruto series, because of that she's just a blank sleet to fill things into. I also don't feel I've been able to do her justice in this story, I sort of started liking Kurou instead, who acts more like I originally planned Mito.
> 
> Please forgive any grammar mistakes, english is not my native language, so though I try to avoid them they do occur now and then.


	22. Falcon Totem

**Chapter twenty one –** **Falcon Totem**

_T_ _he Falcon was sy_ _mbolic of the rising sun in Egypt. It is also the king of all birds where many gods were shown with the he_ _ad or body of the Falcon. It was thought that the falco_ _n animal totem comes to us when we require higher vision, or higher knowledge in solving current dilemmas in our lives._ _The Falcon is a_ _solar emblem_ _for success, victory and rising above a situation._

* * *

He was sitting next to his brothers in the eerily silent hospital hallway after the nurses had provided them with chairs to sit in while they killed time staring out into thin air. Tobirama had liked to think he was good at understanding situations, but yesterday had been the grandest of proofs that his radar could be completely off at times.

At first, time had gone by so fast, finding Naruto sitting mutely next to Mito in the forest, her kimono ripped up from her leg to her waist and the fabric filled with blood, Tobirama had at first been convinced he was under a genjutsu.

While Itama stayed with the silent girl, Tobirama had gone to the second chakra signature he'd felt not too far away and found Yasu-dono glowing with Naruto's chakra.

After that, time had slowed down. Yasu-dono was alive, but weak, and Tobirama had no idea what was wrong with him. He was even awake when he lifted him up, carrying him close to where Naruto was, but laying him down before going over to them so he wouldn't have to see what had happened to Mito.

It had been painful to seal Mito into a scroll, and Itama had been white as a ghost as he looked on. His hand clutched with Naruto's, and leaning against her. They had moved away from her, and didn't speak a word until Tobirama was finished working.

"I didn't want master Yasu to see her." Had been the first words Naruto had said as she got up to her feet. "My old sensei lost his student once, and he said he was glad he never got to see his body. I didn't want him to see her like this… So I didn't go.. to him." Whispered Naruto looking up at Tobirama.

She wasn't crying, or even looking like she'd been crying. Her make-up was still in place, a little smudged but there were no tear stains.

He had only nodded and grabbed her shoulder, suddenly feeling for the girl. Knowing how close she was to Mito. Had been.

The worst was to come back to the party though. Naruto and Itama had gone and helped Yasu-dono to the hospital while Tobirama had gone to find his older brother. He'd found him sitting with Ashina-dono and his grandchildren, their parents somewhere else, and Tobirama wasn't sure if he was glad about that or not.

"Brother… I'm sending everyone home right now. I'm.. We need to talk." Was all Tobirama had been able to say, seeing the smile on his brothers face disappearing slowly. Hashirama had always been quite intuitive, and he could read the anxiety on Tobirama's face as if he had it etched in capital letters into his hitai ate.

He had quickly turned around and told everyone to go home and that the feast was finished for the night. He had not wanted to lie, so he didn't give them an explanation when people started protesting. It had taken fifteen minutes to clear out the people and a few had noticed the serious expression on his face at once.

Before they left Tobirama had stopped the Uzumaki's from leaving, and by this point his brother had grown very anxious.

"Where is my wife, Tobirama? Where is Yasu-dono and Naruto?" He inquired the moment the last Yamanaka had left out of hearing range.

"Yasu-dono is in the hospital. I'm not sure what was wrong with him, but Naruto tried to heal him. He was in pain but still awake when we came back. Naruto and Itama is with him right now, but Mito..." He swallowed and focused on his brother. Not wanting to see the expression on her parents when he said this. "Mito is dead."

The words came out clearly and steadily, like he was telling them she had a sore throat.

Hashirama's looked more like he was more in denial than anything else, and for a few seconds no one had anything to say. It had truly been horrible. Tobirama had been having flash backs to the war, but they were supposed to be in some sort of peace right now. No one had died since the alliance had started, and now Mito was _dead._

His brother made a widower before they he'd even spent a single day as a husband.

Ashina-dono loosing his granddaughter, and Kurou who for the first time ever had lost his calm. He and his twin had soon had ran for the hospital, their parents right on their heel.

Hashirama had slowly sat down, and for the first time ever, Tobirama had seen him cry. Whenever his brother was sad he did it privately. When their family members had been killed he'd always gone off and let his agony out in private. This time however he'd broken down completely.

In the end they'd gone in silence up to the hospital, and the first thing he'd done coming there was taking Naruto aside. "Naruto-san… I'm really sorry about this, but I will have to seal off your chakra if you're going to wait here with us."

The girl had looked surprised and alarmed when he said this. It was with a sinking feeling of unbelievable guilt he continued. "We just lost the Hokage's wife. Yasu-dono is still being treated, and we don't know what happened. In other words… You're the only suspect." At this the girl looked both devastated and outraged at the same time, but before she could start shouting, he'd covered her mouth with his hand, hissing out the rest of the information.

"I do not believe you've done this, Naruto. I swear. But right now I need to cover all bases. I have to keep my head cool right now and deal with this, while Madara will take over the Hokage work until this has calmed down and my brother is ready to get back to work. Please don't make a fuss. The Yamanaka can clear you tomorrow with their mind technique, or Yasu-dono can tell us what happened whenever he wakes up. _Please_ Naruto, just let me seal your chakra and we wont speak of this to the others, we can both then wait here until we hear news of Yasu-dono, and then you will tell me everything that happened."

Naruto had agreed after that, and Tobirama had used the chakra suppressing technique Mito had taught him. A small seal on her neck had appeared, glowing faintly red and quietly they'd walked back to the waiting room.

That's how Tobirama had ended up where he sat now. The minutes passing slower than ever before since all they could do was wait. Take no action and let better suited people do the hard work while they twiddled thumbs in the hallway.

At last one of the healers came out of the patient room with a tired expression. "He will be fine. Yasu-dono suffered a very serious stroke, but luckily he's out of the woods now." She said reassuringly, and Tobirama felt his eyes close in relief. At least this had ended well.

Naruto looked very surprised, and remained speechless while the others enquired how he would get better from here.

Ashina seemed the one with the best composure at this point, having remained calm during the whole ordeal. Not to say he wasn't grieving, he was just one of those men who refused to let himself mourn openly. Kind of like Tobirama himself.

With a pointed look towards Naruto they got up and excused themselves, leaving the Uzumaki to mourn in silence while Itama followed Hashirama home, before heading for the Hokage tower.

* * *

When Madara had been woken up at four in the morning he'd been very bad tempered.

Opening the door to find Senju Tobirama had made it even worse.

As the Senju had continued to explain he needed to come with him because Uzumaki Mito, now Senju Mito had been killed, The Uchiha clan head had not known what to feel anymore. All he knew was that this was the largest shock he'd felt since that day he found Izuna bleeding out on the ground because of the work of Senju Tobirama and Uzumaki Kurou.

When he then had been explained that Naruto was taken in for a hearing about the murder he'd wanted to ask if this was a very bad and sick joke, or if Tobirama hadn't been drinking a little _too_ much at his brother's wedding party.

Still Madara reluctantly had come with him up to the Hokage tower, trying desperately to understand what the hell was happening.

"You are suspected of killing, Mito?" Was the first thing he said when he barged into the room Naruto was waiting for them in. She was sitting in the window of the office, looking hollow and tired.

"No, not exactly, but she's the only one we know who wasn't injured. I wanted you to be here for the hearing." Said Tobirama and sat down by the table.

"Well, in any case you have a very bad idea of how to restrain a suspects. Naruto could have waltzed out at any time if she wanted too." He said and looked back at the door who'd not been locked, remembering that the building was empty and noticing that the girl was sitting by an open window.

"I sealed her chakra. If she tried to escape we'd catch her in no time. Call it a test if you like, I also have guards with the order to not let anyone out of here before eight in the morning." He said and pointed to the streets behind the window Naruto was sitting by.

Madara however was looking worriedly at the blonde. He'd never seen her like this. It wasn't like she looked fragile, more like a caged wild animal on the brink of snapping.

"What happened, Naruto?" Asked Toirama and leaned back in his seat.

"Black Zetsu." Was all she replied. Her voice clipped and eyes focused solely on Tobirama while a twitch ran through Madara.

"I felt his chakra during the reception when I was with Mito and Yasu, so I ran off to catch him. They followed me. I was so focused on black Zetsu I stopped thinking off their location. When I caught up to him he already had Mito, she had been stabbed, and used her as hostage to get away, you've seen the result." She said bitterly and her fist were clenched so hard they were drawing blood.

"I see… I've heard off him before. You told my brother you were looking for him, and have been leaving the village regularly to search, as I understand. He was the one behind the yōnbi attack, right?" Asked Tobirama while Madara felt sweat gather on his brow.

He'd stepped in it now hadn't he? He hadn't told Naruto about their meeting, but since he'd chosen Konoha over that thing he had thought it didn't matter. "You've said he is not human, but do you have any idea how he caught, Mito?" Asked Tobirama, trying to stay calm and secure through this hearing. Madara was still standing by the wall, his hands folded and his face lowered towards the floor.

Naruto shook her head. "I can't be sure excactly how it hapened since I arrived only after she'd been stabbed. But when I did arrive, I saw that he had the sharingan and they were activated, a pair of eyes he probably stole..." She explained stonily, her face twisted in an ugly grimace while she spoke into the tense silence.

"What? That's impossible, we always make sure no one with the sharingan is uncounted for. We have made sure no one can get to them." Interrupted Madara as Tobirama was about to speak.

"According to that ink blotch he took them from Indra."

At this there was a ringing silence.

Madara's eyes going wide at those words. "And they were not just the sharingan, but actually mangekyō sharingan with a spiral pattern." Naruto told them dead serious, her eyes locking with Madara for the first time, so the fury in her eyes was clearly visible to him. He almost activated his sharingan himself, but stopped just in time. This would not be the best time or place for that.

"I see, but no one else has seen this creature before, can you give me a proper discretion? All I have is what you told my brother, and I only got that he was a black creature." Said the Senju while he furiously scribbled on his notepad.

"He is a black humanoid shape with yellow eyes, at least usually. There is no definition to him, it's like a smooth black substance formed like a man." Answered Maadara, realizing there was no reason to keep this to himself anymore. Not after what had happened.

The Senju and Namikaze looked up at Madara as he spoke, Tobirama confused and Naruto with narrowed eyes.

"I've seen him. He came to talk to me." Admitted Madara tentatively, watching the blond like a hawk for her reaction.

Naruto got slowly up from the window frame, her eyes burning with questions and anger at the same time. "When?" She demanded, speaking silently and threateningly at the same time.

"Long ago. Before the alliance started, he came to visit me the last time after Izuna was injured in the yōnbi battle, and before that I saw him once in the ruins of Karonichi village." He answered truthfully. "He was the one who told me you were a jinchūriki, Naruto."

Tobirama kept silent while Naruto's eyes flashed. Going red for a moment, and Madara wondered how that was possible if she was wearing the chakra suppression seal. But then again, Tobirama had no idea before now that she was a jinchūriki, maybe it wasn't strong enough to keep Naruto's chakra at bay.

"And you didn't think to tell me this?" She said in barely controlled frustration.

"Naruto is a jinchu-" Started Tobirama saying, but was cut off almost at once.

"He never showed up again after I agreed to the alliance! He kept blabbering about how you were an abnormality that popped up into the world, and had the same soul as Hashirama. He seemed more talk then anything, trying to rile me up by blending truths and lies together. I concluded you were probably a jinchūriki, but the fact that you're Ashura come back from the dead to thwart the Uchiha, seemed a bit far fetched even to me." Defended Madara, and Naruto turned and walked back to the window, blood dripping from her fists as she seemingly tried to control herself.

"So then we have two witnesses who's seen this creature." Added Tobirama, trying to break the tension in the room, his face angled towards Naruto with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

"It seems we do." Growled Naruto in a low voice.

* * *

Yasu woke up from his jutsu induced sleep after two days, and by then Ashina had to go back to Uzu, since the village couldn't be left unprotected and someone would have to break the news to the rest of Mito's family. Some of her siblings had been forced to stay behind in Uzu to keep up the protection. Their relationship with the Uzumaki was easily described as tense now, but at least they knew Naruto was not to blame. It still didn't stop many of them from being bitter.

Most of them went with Ashina, except Kurou and Hachirou who stayed to help Yasu home whenever he was well enough. It would be a while though, since the medics thought he was at high risk of having another stroke.

The seal master's condition wasn't improving much, and the twins spent most of their time in the hospital, hearing the story from their old teacher's point of view. They had heard already what happened from Naruto, but they got even more information from Yasu.

Black Zetsu had come up behind them, and when Mito had turned she'd been hit by a genjutsu immediately, the creature had stabbed her and taken possession of her body while threatening Yasu to stay away if he didn't want to see her die. It was then Naruto had showed up.

The old seal master had used most of his time grieving over Mito, and the blond had been very scared of visiting him, but after a week she got her act together and left for the hospital.

She had been helped by a kind nurse who'd showed her his room before Naruto silently walking inside.

There she found master Yasu was propped up in a sitting position on the bed. His skin paler then usual, and his wrinkled face looking up from a book once she entered.

"Ah, Naruto-san." He said seriously, the man looked even thinner then usual, and his white hair was unkempt and in general he just looked very sick. "I've been waiting for you." He said and searched her expression. His eyes feeling like they could drill into her soul as she met his gaze. Seeing just how maimed it was.

"Master Yasu." She replied and sat down in the visitors chair which obtained Kurou's haori already, but the guy was currently at his hotel room, and probably wouldn't show up here for a few more hours.

"I'm glad to see you awake… I..." Started Naruto saying, but trailed off as he continued looking strangely at her.

"I am so sorry… I'm to blame for this, and I can only… Mito always talked highly of you, even when I was bad mouthing you for being so strict, she defended you and I know how much you cared for her. I'm so sorry. I wish I… I wish I could turn back time." She mumbled, barely believing what she'd just said, but not stopping it from being completely true.

"So do I, Naruto-san… and I hope you can forgive me. This was not your fault, I was the one who stopped you from attacking that thing when it had Mito. Maybe if I hadn't been such a coward. If I'd been younger..." He trailed off, and Naruto was struck by how incredibly frail he seemed. All his usual stubbornness gone and only a shell of what she had come to associate with the seal master left. Her old tutor.

"There was no way you could have known… But I did. I knew how traitorous he was, I should never have hesitated, you wouldn't have been able to stop me if I hadn't."

They stayed in silence for a long while, Yasu leaning deeply into the cushions, and to Naruto's horror she realized tears were running silently down his cheek. But when he spoke his voice was the same sick tone he'd used up until now, if only slightly slower then before.

"You warned us about that creature when you came to Uzushiogakure… I never took you seriously, thinking you were exaggerating black Zetsu's involvement with the sanbi. You were so loud all the time and you seemed so carefree. To me you couldn't possibly be what you claimed to. Someone who'd faced more horrors then even I had, and still come out twice the person with such joy within you. An imposter. That's what I thought of you." He trailed off and looked over at her. His eyes were dimmed, and the usually fiery stare that told Naruto to behave at all time was gone.

"I was wrong. Mito had a wonderful friend in you. I knew from the moment you ran after black Zetsu, and especially now when I can see your pain so clearly. You're a good actor, Naruto. When you want to you fool us all." He whispered without breaking their gaze.

Naruto didn't know what to answer. She was lost for a reply, and only kept looking on until her eyes watered from not blinking for so long.

"I can see now that we both have regrets in our life. I wish I'd understood sooner, Naruto-san, maybe things would have turned out differently." He said while closing his eyes.

"Yes... Maybe..."

Naruto stayed in the hospital room for many hours, even when Yasu fell asleep she stayed and kept watch over him. Feeling oddly at peace in here.

Only when Kurou and Hachirou came in at noon, and after telling them how he was doing did she leave them to go home and prepare.

A new determination burning inside her chest.

* * *

It was two weeks since Yasu had woken up, when they got the news he would probably never be strong enough to leave Konoha.

The medics were worried about his failing health, and Naruto could see his condition worsening every couple of days she visited. The man was so frail he barely had the energy to go to the toilet anymore.

Naruto had been very absent from her usual friends, and was now mainly spending her free time with master Yasu instead of her usual acquaintances or working at home.

This was something Madara quickly grew impatient by, and the same day as the nurse told Naruto that Yasu had maximum a year left to live, was also the day she found Madara waiting in her apartment.

The Uchiha leader had been very busy covering the workload Hashirama usually took responsibility for and found himself surprisingly relieved he hadn't gotten this job. While there were some aspects he wanted to be involved with, like the threat from the north east, and the smaller clans which kept attacking Konoha, there was also some things he just didn't give a fuck about.

The day the Senju felt like coming back to work, Madara would be incredibly relieved, he just didn't care what a six year old Nara had in his cooperation grade or come with suggestion to how he could improve.

That part of the job was just a pile of paperwork, and trying to build on the foundations they'd already laid out. Madara felt like he was babysitting the entire village, making sure everyone showed up for appointments and distributing tasks to lesser ninjas. He preferred being on the front line at all times, not delegating safely in the back during the beginning and stepping up whenever the others couldn't handle the trouble.

All this work was the main reason he had not found too much the time to go see Naruto.

He'd found Naruto at odd places here and there, giving her a wave or greeting whenever he manage to run into her, but that was hardly enough to be called a proper meeting.

She'd been cleared of all suspicion quickly, since Yasu had told everything the moment he woke up.

However, Madara felt he had an argument waiting for him whenever he had time to properly talk to her, and even though he'd never admit it, was a bit frightened to feel her wrath.

He was therefore surprised when she only looked vaguely surprised at seeing him waiting for her in her apartment. Naruto had then greeted him with a wave and asked if he wanted tea, which baffled him even more.

"Why do you have two dead mice in your living room, Naruto?" Was the first thing he'd been able to ask. Pointing to the corner of the room where true enough, two rodents were laid next to one another.

"Because when I was going to use foxes, Kurama got offended." She replied and sat down on the couch and indicated for him to sit down next to her. This made him even more confused, and Naruto sighed and tried to give a short explanation.

"I'm working on a jutsu." She said and crossed her arms with a bored expression, her ready made tea held in her right hand, while the other gestured casually in the direction of the mice.

"I see..." He said uncertainly, peeking back at the mice with one eyebrow raised. "Do you need to store them inside the apartment though?" Madara asked a bit disgusted, thinking of all the flees which had to be in their fur and currently spreading out through the apartment.

"No, but I was in a hurry this morning, and was planning on doing it now." She replied. "But I'm guessing you're not here to criticize my housekeeping skills. What do you want, Madara?" She asked while taking a sip of her tea. She didn't look so well. She was thinner, and looked less kept then she'd even been when living out in the wild. Her hair tangled and even more uncontrollable then his own.

"Well, I was wondering how you were doing…. I haven't really talked to you since..." He trailed off, not knowing how touchy she was about the subject, he hated when women cried. He just didn't know how to deal with it, except suggest they go do it somewhere else.

"I'm alright." She said and shrugged, her eyes meeting his, but they were half as lively as they used to be.

"I heard you've been visiting Yasu-dono lately. I'm sorry, I heard about..." He trailed off again, realizing he was making the situation even worse then it had been. Again she didn't react much, just kept looking at him with that flat expression.

"I'll manage, Madara, I always have." She said when the silence had dragged on into an awkward amount of time.

"Good…"

_'_ _ _What the hell were you supposed to say__ _ _in these types of situations__ _ _? I'm sorry for your loss? Get a grip? Do you want to spar? Should I help throw out those mice?'__ He had no idea what to say now that he finally had her attention.

"So about… Black Zetsu… Are you still mad?" He inquired after another few minutes of painful silence.

The blond leaned back into the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "No, I guess I can't be angry about you for not telling me. I've kept secrets hidden from you too, and well…" She trailed off without specifying.

Madara wanted very badly to press her on this, but this careless version of Naruto seemed more like barrier separating a furious and mourning Naruto from himself. So he managed to control the urge to start questioning her. Barely.

He got up and stretched his legs.

Feeling like this trip was a complete failure, but realizing Naruto really didn't want him here. The blond got up with him and wordlessly followed him to the door. He stopped just outside and turned back to her. Not exactly sure what to say, so instead he leaned down and kissed her softly.

She didn't move away, and keeping the kiss short he moved back to study her face. It hadn't changed at all, but he felt encouraged that she hadn't slapped him yet.

"I've said this before, Naruto… If you want to talk… Well, you know where to find me, I'll always listen, you know." He said and stroked her cheek briefly.

Her eyes were still so distant, and he didn't like it at all. With a frown he left her by the door frame. Hoping she'd be back to normal soon.

Even Naruto rejecting him was better then this zombie version.

* * *

With a careful expression Itama walked up to his older brother sitting in the garden alone, he wasn't sure how to start this conversation, so instead he just sat down silently next to him. Hashirama peaked down at him from the corner of his eye, but didn't comment on his sudden reappearance.

Itama had moved out just before the wedding, feeling like it would be better to give his brother and new wife some privacy while he started his own independent life. It was a tragic and ironic aura lingering over that memory now. Just when things had looked so bright, this just had to happen.

"How are you, brother?" He asked quietly, straightening the hem of his haori while keeping his eyes on the blowing leafs of the tree in front of them.

Hashirama shrugged without answering, his eyes fixed on a similar spot as Itama kept his focus on. "Well… Things are going alright in your office at least, but Madara found out that he hates being Hokage. He's moping about everything, you know. Yesterday, Tōka-san was told really rudely to stick her academy report a place the sun don't shine." He told his brother, a small smile tugging at his lips when he recollected overhearing the conversation.

"I see." Hashirama replied and breathed heavily. His hands were folded in his lap. Fingers intertwined as if in prayer while they rested on the fabric of his yukata.

"Naruto won't talk to me much either. She's been spending all her time with Yasu-dono instead, and when I went to see her, she had dead rabbits in her room. I'm not sure what's she's up to, but I think she's taking this as hard as you are… Probably worse… She's all alone you know. Tobirama and I go to the store for you and get food whenever needed, but well... I guess she's having a relapse to her homeless days in the wild. At least that would explain the rabbits..."

Hashirama looked questionably down at his brother, he had started growing a lot lately, and was a lot taller then he used to be. Itama was glad to see his reaction, as long as he wasn't moping all day and taking an interest in the outside world, then it was alright.

At first Hashirama had seemed fine, he'd left for Uzu for Mito's funeral a couple of days after most of the Uzumaki went. The twins had joined him on the journey, and all three had come back different then when they left.

Hachirou was again making a few jokes here and there, but not as regularly as he'd done before the wedding.

Kurou had been unusually emotional before leaving, but on returning he felt like his old closed off self again, and Hashirama…

Well, Hashirama had continuing working as Hokage the day after his wedding, and kept everyones moral high. A full search party had been sent out, Itama included, and for a few days it seemed he wasn't going to let his wife death get to him.

After the funeral that had changed.

Itama guessed the reality finally settled in, and he took time off, letting Madara handle things in the office. Telling them he just needed time to be by himself for a while, it was the exact same excuse he used every time his brothers overstayed their welcome too.

"Naruto is strong, Itama. Whatever she's doing I'm sure she has her reasons." Replied his brother to Itama's short summary of the happenings outside his home.

"Well… Maybe you two should talk to one another? Who knows, maybe you both would feel better." Tried Itama to tell his eldest brother carefully, and realised he must have said something wrong when his brothers eyes closed and he breathed deeply to calm himself.

For a moment it looked like Hashirama was meditating, and Itama was correct in this impression since the signature red markings of senjutsu appeared around his eyes and forehead.

"Maybe… But more importantly Itama… What's the status on the rebellion?" He asked calmly, the markings growing brighter and more pronounced. His brother had gotten so good in senjutsu, Itama was pretty sure he was better at this then even Naruto by now. At least he could gather nature chakra quicker then she did.

"We're not sure… The last report only said they were threatening the eastern borders… Uzu is more barricaded then ever, and last I heard they fought off a horde of them when they came to close to their village. They won't stop them coming into fire country though… Uzushiogakure has more or less made them run for their lives after the rebellion properly started and we'll probably have to do the same here if they get too rowdy in our land." Itama explained, depressed about how the state of things were developing out there.

Hashirama opened his eyes, the dim glint in his eyes barely visible. "Please leave, Itama. I want to be alone now."

* * *

Hashirama walked past Naruto's apartment for the third time. Unsure if he should knock or not.

The blond had been very unsociable for the last two months since the… _incident_ , and barely talked to anyone these days. The only time he'd seen her outside of mission briefings in the last week, was back when she'd told him what had happened during the reception, and that was it.

He wanted to talk to her now, though. And not about where she'd go for her A rank.

Gathering up his courage he went to the back of the building, climbed the stairs to her entrance balcony and knocked on the door.

Silence.

He knocked again, and this time he heard soft footsteps coming towards the door. When the door opened a dishevel looking Naruto was leaning against the door frame. She was in her pyjamas and holding a bloody kunai in her hand. Her eyes had rings under it, and Hashirama wondered how much the girl had slept lately.

"You look horrible, Hashirama." Was her greeting, and Hashirama felt his lips twitch at her words.

"You too, can I come in?" He asked, but without waiting for an answer he pushed her aside and strolled in.

Inside the living room a stack of stuff littered the floor, her clothes hadn't been tidied up, and dishes was standing unwashed by the sink. What got his attention the most however was the four dead lambs in the corner.

"I wasn't expecting company." She said and walked up next to him.

"Um..."

"They're for practice. I'm working on a jutsu." She said and looked half interested up at Hashirama.

The Hokage scratched his neck uncomfortably and felt worried for his friends state of mind. "Are you alright?" He asked uncertainly. _'_ _Had she lost it completely?_ _'_

"I'm as fine as I've always been, Hashirama." Naruto replied and walked over to the stove. "Want some tea?" She asked curiously and Hashirama declined, right now he wasn't sure if anything inside this apartment was healthy to consume. Especially those bloody dead animals stacked on the side of the room…

"You've been out of the village a lot lately… Even when not doing missions you seem very interested in the outside world. Have you had any luck finding that creature?" He asked straight forwards and felt nauseous just talking mentioning anything related to that thing.

He wanted nothing more then to kill black Zetsu himself, but Naruto had tried for years already, and Hashirama didn't know anyone stronger or more dedicated then her. So what chance could he possibly have?

"No, but I'm working on it. I'll have him gone soon. That's what the practice animals are for." She said in a non nonsense voice while she made herself some tea.

"You're very distant lately… Madara tells me to leave you alone, but well… I feel we have something in common here, and I'd like to talk to you. As Mito's best friend, you loved her almost as much as I do. And… I think we both need to talk to someone about this. Itama and Tobirama has been great you know, but you don't have anyone like that. You're my friend and I don't like seeing you like this, Naruto."

The girl turned towards him slowly, her mug now ready and steaming but she didn't speak.

Hashirama let his hand comb through his hair, and sat down at the edge of the couch furthest away from the lamb corpses.

"I've lost a lot of people, Naruto. The first really painful one was my mother, and she died when she was pregnant with my baby sister. Some Uchihas found her in the forest gathering herbs and took their chance to get rid of one more Senju. She was supposed to help me with chakra exercises that afternoon, and I remember going to our training spot for many days afterwards. Imagining she'd just show up suddenly and tell me it was all a nightmare." He started telling her, not minding her silence and instead giving a bit of himself.

She needed to know there were people here for her. That Konoha was her family, and he was her brother. She didn't have to be so closed off, because there would always be someone to have her back.

"My brother Kawarama was a really happy boy, even more outspoken and energetic than I was. He was seven when he died. That was during one of the harshest battles we've had with the Uchiha." He took a deep breath, not looking forwards to talk about his next point on the list.

"Mito… Mito was amazing. She could be as stern as Tobirama when she wanted too, or as carefree as you. Never afraid of speaking her mind and so kind, I never knew what hit me the most. Her dedication to her family or her spirit. When I realized I was in love with her, she was telling me about her home. Telling me everything she loved about her village which she would die to protect. It was exactly what I felt for Konoha, and I was a goner afterwards. Still, she left Uzu for my sake, Naruto. It's the warmest feeling you can imagine. To think she'd come to Konoha for me, she must have loved me as much as I love her… I miss her so much, Naruto. Not an hour goes by without me wondering what she could have been doing. I wonder how our life would have been, what we would have if she wasn't gone."

He paused when he noticed how pale Naruto had gone. Her eyes were closed and she was gripping her cup tightly, her head bent downwards. For a while all to be heard were their calm breathing and sounds from the street outside. His friend looking troubled while searching for words.

"Mito… It's my fault… I don't understand how I could have failed her. I can't believe I let a comrade die. You and Mito should have grown old together and have children. You were supposed to be happy, I had it all planned. It wasn't supposed to be like this..." She whispered weakly.

"It's not your fault, Naruto. Mito would never have let you go alone to face that creature. Even Yasu-dono wouldn't, and he blames himself as much as you do, but this is black Zetsu's fault. No on else. Is there one thing I've learned by now, it's that I know that the life of ninjas are a fleeting thing. You have to live to the fullest while you still can. I'm doing my best, Naruto. I lost my wife, and the woman I love, but I swore to protect our village. I'm back as Hokage now, since I wont let anyone harm Konoha. I will get nowhere if I let her death consume me, it will only harm those depending on me. But I gave my word, and you taught me to never go back on that." He said and smiled weakly to her.

Naruto felt a rush of emotions surge through her.

Hashirama was such a kind and strong person, and always cared about the village before himself. He was the same as her, and in other ways so different. Still the memory of Mito and Tsunade kept flickering through her mind, the vision of what could have been, ripping her up inside.

"I am working for the village's best, Hashirama. My first priority have always been to the village and it will always be. Even if my own family threatened our village, I would stand in between, and I'd die a thousand times before I willingly let anyone harm what we have here." She whispered, hearing words long forgotten inside her mind.

__'_ _ __If anyone dares try and disturb that harmony…_ _ __Whether it be my own child… Family… or someone I consider a brother… I won't hesitate to strike them down._ _ __'_ _

* * *

The blonde was visiting master Yasu on his two months anniversary of staying at the hospital. She'd brought Sasuke's old hitai ate and the photo of team seven. Master Yasu was asleep so he wouldn't notice her odd pieces of possession.

Her mind was wrapped around everything which wouldn't be now.

Tsunade would not be born, she would not end up on team Hiruzen with Jiraya and Orochimaru. She would never become a the great medical kunoichi and never become the godaime Hokage.

Naruto had screwed up so much. Who knew how many others had been forced to never be by now? How had she allowed this?

Her baa-chan…

Mito…

Naruto's eyes were filled with tears but they never fell. She hadn't cried since she fell back in time, and even this wasn't enough for her to start. All she felt was broken, and there was a burning inside her gut that demanded that she took action. Forced her to think of nothing but getting rid of black. Fucking. Zetsu.

And she now had a plan.

Because of the murder on Mito there were renewed forces out to look for him, combing the wild for the creature. The people had been both sad and shocked by the news, and those who'd met Mito were outraged something like this had happened.

Naruto however didn't let her mind stay focused on her grief. She knew what could stop that bastard, knew a way for it to stop, two ways in fact.

"You don't have to be so sad, Naruto. We all die eventually you know." Said Yasu and smiled weakly from the bed. The blond was a bit startled that he was awake, and shifted on the bench and rested her elbows on her knees while letting her head fall into her hands.

"I still can't help it… There's so much violence in the world. Isn't it strange that I've gotten so used to people being taken away from me by force, that the idea of you dying a natural death is something completely foreign. It's just as painful, but unlike someone being killed there isn't the same bitterness. Just… worry..." She said and massaged her forehead slowly with her hand, letting it glide into her spiky bangs and drag it backwards.

"Yes, you've lived a violent life haven't you, Naruto-san? I'm honoured that you will miss me." He said genuinely as he looked closer at her. "But there's something else worrying you too isn't it? I've noticed already of course." He said and trailed off, waiting for her to reply.

"I've got a lot on my mind, master Yasu… I just don't know what to do anymore." Naruto muttered. Voicing her worry to another living being for the first time. Maybe it was because she knew he would join the other dead in not too long that she felt comfortable enough to do so.

"Hmmm… You have every right to say no, Naruto-san. He will have to accept that you know." He said sternly.

Naruto was confused, what on earth was he talking about? Apparently her thoughts was reflected on her face, since Yasu's head tilted to the side studying her. "Or is it not Uchiha-san you're worried about?"

"Uchiha? Who do you mean?" Said Naruto honestly wanting to know.

"Uchiha Madara of course. He keeps trailing after you. I might be very old Naruto-san, and a lot of me has been failing lately, but I'm yet to go blind." He said attempting to lighten the mood by smiling. However, it only made it look like a weak grimace.

"What? Madara isn't the problem. I mean he is, but it's not what you're thinking. We've come to an understanding, don't worry about…. _That._ There's… other things..." Naruto said and straightened up so Yasu would think she was recovering from her little confession.

"If it's not his advantages you're worried about, then what is it? You seem so sad Naruto-san, it's very uncharacteristic for someone like you to constantly wander around with that expression. You've had that look in your eyes ever since I got in here you know." Muttered Yasu, trying to make her open up to him.

Listening to the old man Naruto couldn't concentrate, she was filled with an urgent, desperate need to just _tell_ someone. Tell someone who she _really_ was, why she was worried, that she was scared black Zetsu was here, somewhere, but she couldn't take him even if she found him. He was impossible to catch on her own…

"Tell me, child. I might be of some help to your problem. I can't promise of course, but I'll try. You are becoming more and more closed off, Naruto-san. I don't think you're acting like yourself anymore."

Taking a deep breath she stared back at the frail man.

Her mind was screaming for relief, to just tell him, tell him all that had happened to her _._ Just get it off her chest.

Slowly releasing her hair from her ponytail and calming herself down, she did.

Naruto told him _everything._

* * *

 

"That's why I need to seal him. But I… I can't… Not alone, I need Sasuke, or someone with Sasuke's power!" She grimaced and fisted her hands tightly in her lap.

Yasu had listened patiently as she told him the important parts, never interrupting her, even though she'd seen it in his eyes often that he wanted to.

"But Sasuke is gone. You only have Madara who might have the potential to achieve that, but you already know he failed." he said slowly, finally uttering a sentence after two hours of Naruto talking herself dry.

"Exactly… I just… I don't know what to do anymore!" She growled frustrated.

"What have you been doing in your room then? Just thinking? Or have you had an idea? It sounded like there was something you've been wondering about for a while." He said and looked hard into her eyes.

He believed every word she said. Yasu somehow knew she was telling the truth, that she was neither mad or confused.

"I was thinking of doing the death ripper seal, like my dad." She said sternly, looking for master Yasu's advice in this. He looked thoughtful for a long time before answering.

"I'm not sure about that… Black Zetsu, from what you have explained, was created by Kaguya, not born. Which means he is just chakra… You can mould chakra and make it take shape, but that doesn't give it a soul, Naruto-san. I might be wrong off course, but I believe from what I know now, that the death ripper seal might not work… "

Naruto's eyes widened. Never having thought like that before. It sort of made sence and in another way not, since Naruto was convinced Kurama had a soul, and he had been made in a similar way. She voiced this opinion, and the old man shrugged weakly. "Maybe not, but I'd still try something else before sacrificing your life for something that only _may_ work." He explained tierdly and looked up at the ceiling. "You said you had two plans to get rid of it. What is the other?"

"I don't think that will work… I thought I could find white Zetsu, but he's not here, and that screws up my plan. I'm starting to wonder if he might actually not exist yet. The other Uchiha Madara referred to him as his clone, so he might not be into the picture yet… " Naruto muttered dejectedly.

"Why do you want him? He sounded like a nasty character from what you've told me, but not nearly as dangerous as black Zetsu. Especially without Hashirama's cells." He said and tilted his head to the side.

"It doesn't matter anyway, he's not here, so I can't use him." Naruto replied, but was starting to feel better anyway.

More light hearted now that master Yasu had listened to her. Knew her better then anyone else. It was nice to share her secrets again, have someone know you properly. It was now absurd to think back to her time in Uzu, and all the hell she'd given him during her lessons.

"What were you going to use him for then?" Master Yasu asked with a strange gleam in his eyes. Like he had already understood where this was going. "You have something don't you? Something of his. You said they needed DNA for it to work, and you are looking for a victim." He said without Naruto replying. She grimaced but nodded.

"Yes… I have his forehead protector… The one I ripped off him when we were thirteen. I never washed the thing, and I started carrying it after I returned to Konoha, that's how I still have it even after being sent back in time. I was hoping I'd be able to give it back, you know. When I lived in Uzu I threw out Sasuke's headband from the library window once, it was that day I discovered team seven's photo hidden in it. It lay between the head protector metal and the cloth holding it in place and there was this picture." She said and rummaged though her pocket. She handed the photo of team seven over to Yasu who looked at it with a warm smile.

"You look a little annoyed with him, Naruto-san." He said while chuckling.

"We were always at each others throat." She replied smiling.

"But this wouldn't be enough would it? I mean he might have touched it once since it was his, but how many years has this been rubbed against the hitai ate?" He asked questionably.

"There was some hair…. His hair, who else could it have belonged to? I don't have black yaw length hair, and it was stuck there in the same place. I still have it since… Since I was wondering about doing the edo tensei." She muttered looking shamefully down at the ground.

She still had that hair. His DNA inside the hair wrapped in a tightly sealed envelope which again was inside a storage scroll.

The idea had been spinning around in her head for years already, and she had started figuring out how the technique worked. That's what all the dead animals had been sacrificed for and her home had more activity then the butcher some days. Naruto had the technique explained to her during the war, both from other fighters and some of their enemies.

Kurama knew it too, since he had been within Mito in the original time line who had heard a descriptive summary of how to use it from Tobirama. Together they'd worked on improving it to Kabuto's standard, and she was awfully close to getting it right.

"And he would be here then? The yin would reunite with yang and you could seal black Zetsu together, and this time you wouldn't fail." He finished for her.

Naruto didn't reply, she just stared emptily at the picture now laying up on the covers of Yasu's bed.

"I don't know if it will work… Technically he hasn't even been born yet...In fact, he probably never will be." She whispered looking back at the old frail man.

"The same can be said for you, Naruto-san. The chances of you being born are slim right now, but yet here you are. Does your yang chakra work? The one you got from the sage of the six path?" He asked kindly. Naruto nodded, thinking back to the night she'd passed out after making the barrier around the Uchiha village.

"Not as much… I think I'm slowly draining it. The more I use… the less there's left." She muttered leaning back. "It will never completely go away. At least that's what I feel, but it wont be as potent, I've been saving it. I used it only once after I returned to the past, and that was to save Izuna." She said thoughtfully. "But I still think the edo tensei might work… It returns the soul to a carrier by using someone's DNA, in other words. Even if I use Sasuke's hair was from when he was only thirteen, he wont come back at that age. Since his soul died older, he'll come back at the age of his death, and it's the soul I'm binding to the world of the living."

For a long time they sat in silence, both lost in thoughts. One of the past, the other of the future.

Yasu stirred and scrambled to sit up, his effort shook Naruto out of her thoughts and she hurried over to help him up. "I've lived a good life, Naruto-san. Compared to the likes of the Uchiha and Senju, not to mention _you_ , I've been very fortunate growing up in Uzushiogakure. Still… I never did the things I dreamed off as a child. I wanted to become a hero, you know. A soldier who did great deeds in battle. Gaining fame and honour from my clansmen." Said Yasu and smiled wistfully at her, his eyes regaining some of his old spark.

Naruto grinned back, recognising that dream very well.

He looked at her for a long time with a content expression before he nodded to himself. Or maybe it was to her.

"I guess… Yes... Why not? I said I might be off some help, Naruto-san… And I could do this. I could be your sacrifice." Master Yasu said, smiling sadly to the girl now stunned into silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> About Mito's death: The story is getting close to the end now, and Mito's death is the trigger that creates what happens later. The only thing I was unsure about was who to kill and made the most sense. Not to mention who I could actually bare to remove from the story. That unfortunately became Mito. I needed Yasu and Naruto to get along through a painful experience, and for him to understand her better.
> 
> Yet again I'm going to ask you to forgive any grammar mistakes, I try to avoid them, but they appearer here and there. It's not on purpose, I'm just not fluent in it.


	23. Akhet

**Chapter twenty two – Akhet.**

_In ancient Egyptian, Akhet was the place where the sun rises and sets; often translated as "horizon" or "mountain of light". In ancient Egyptian religion, the gateway to a temple mirrored the hieroglyph for 'horizon' - akhet, which was also associated with recreation and rebirth._

* * *

With a sigh Naruto picked up the red armor. It was just like the one Naruto remembered Uchiha Madara wearing when he'd been resurrected during the fourth shinobi war.

Earlier Naruto had attempted to appeal to Hashirama, telling him she didn't need all this gear since it would just slow her down, and anyway, it looked ridiculous on her. He didn't seem to think that was a good enough excuse, and after the sixth time she'd appealed on the matter, he'd banned her from bringing it up again.

The uniform was alright, but she still liked her old jumpsuit better. Naruto was certain she would survive a blade through her gut thanks to Kurama. At one point she'd survived a chidori through her chest, and this armor wouldn't stand much chance against something like that either, so the uniform was just in the way.

In this time they were more strict about attire in general, so Naruto had eventually sucked it up and started wearing it on missions. Hopefully they'd start taking a note out of Uzu's uniform code. They were much lighter and cool looking anyway.

Thinking of Uzu, her thoughts turned back to master Yasu and his ridiculous request, and Naruto grit her teeth together in frustration.

The fuinjutsu master was not getting better. These days he resembled more the corpse she knew he'd become soon, than the strict teacher she had in Uzu.

It had been a month since their conversation, and Naruto still came to visit him as much as she could. But there had been a lot of missions lately, and she found herself more outside of Konoha than within because of the growing number of attacks on the village. The old man was also starting to get angry at her too. Telling her that he knew what he was doing, that it didn't matter to him if the attempt failed. That the fact that Sasuke wasn't born might mean the edo tensei wouldn't work.

Again and again they'd disused the outcome, and master Yasu still felt it was a better idea than Naruto sacrificing herself through the use of the death reaper seal.

And the worst part of it was that Naruto was tempted.

She was constantly doubting herself, switching between arguments born from her fierce desire to get rid of black Zetsu contra her moral code.

Naruto wasn't a murderer.

The edo tensei would kill master Yasu - no matter if it worked or not. His health wasn't good enough to even consider hoping he'd manage to survive a false infiltration of another's soul into his body. It would be too painful to even start the ritual, and she had misgivings if he'd even survive the exchange. That he would die before it was completed, and that way just be completely pointless.

There was also the possibility that the edo tensei didn't work the way she and Kurama thought it did. It was the hair of a thirteen year old Sasuke she had in her possession, not the seventeen year old Sasuke with the power of the rinnegan.

If this worked she needed the edo tensei to resurrect the Sasuke who died at full power. Since it was the soul she was summoning - and not someone's body - it would hopefully mean that her friend would be like she last saw him.

But that all depended on his soul even existing somewhere at all.

Ever since Mito's death, Naruto had desperately hung on to the words of the sage of the six paths. He had told her that her friends souls were with him wherever that was, except Sarutobi who was currently with Naruto in the world of the living.

He'd told her that when Naruto fainted after creating the barrier seal around the Uchiha village. It could mean that they were just hanging around until they were born, and she'd get a useless edo tensei, or it could mean that things was a bit more timeless when you were between lives.

Naruto had long since realised that she would do _everything_ to see them again. Mito's murder was the ringing alarm bell in the back of her mind screaming that she had screwed up time so much that they would never come to be.

In a way, she'd made sure Tsunade was never born. It felt like Naruto herself had killed her. Killed both Mito and Tsunade. If she'd never interfered, they would still live.

Who else were gone? Probably Sasuke and Itachi. She had screwed up that clan already. Izuna was alive and Madara didn't seem to have any thoughts of abandoning Konoha. That in itself was rewriting history in all five nations.

It wasn't lost on her that she was being such a hypocrite. Wanting to make a better world, but at the same time longing for things to be as they were. It was impossible to have both, and in a way, she'd already made her choice.

She saved Izuna. The younger Uchiha brother could of course still die, but it wouldn't be at the hands of a Senju.

Because of this Naruto believed Madara was very different. Of course she had no idea how he'd been at this age originally, but it didn't change her belief that she'd royally messed up time.

While he still had that aura of self importance, much of the same ego and an unhealthy obsession with fighting Hashirama, he was not as blood thirsty or revengeful. There was definitely some wounds that would never heal, like the death of the rest of his family, but Madara still believed in his clan. He wanted the alliance to work, and still hung on to hope. Something the ancient Uchiha Madara hadn't done at all.

She remembered Obito's speech clearly. How her love for Jiraya made her hate. How Sasuke had betrayed her. How ninjas wanted peace and at the same time forced the weaker into submission though their skills. Ninjas were trained to kill to protect. One over another.

There was no doubt in her mind that the world would have been a better place without chakra. But they _did_ have chakra, there was no take backs.

Now all she could do was use her power to create some sort of unison. Even civilians fought, there was no promise that a ninja free society meant peace either…

It was like saying that the world would be a better place without humans, since they were the ones fighting, and by removing them the earth would be saved. But people would fight to survive, it was the most primal instinct within them.

Naruto sighed as she looked into the mirror in her bathroom. Now wearing the red armor while she tried to force her hair into a ponytail.

She had a mission starting in half an hour. And while she and master Yasu hadn't said it out loud, they both knew the deadline was right around the corner. Looming in the close distance. If she was going to do the edo tensei it would have to be very soon. Probably before the end of this week.

But first there were enemies moving along the borders of Konoha that needed to be kicked out.

She knew the Uchiha brothers were dealing with the main protection already. They'd been out for two days so far, and had asked for backup so they could get some rest. Naruto would be there tops for a day before coming back, and by then she needed to make up her mind.

* * *

Izuna dragged the palm of his hand over his forehead, trying to get his bangs out of his eyes while he watched their opponents. It looked both good and bad.

Good, because they were winning, bad because there was a mix of clans fighting them. They had lost three ninjas in this battle which had already lasted way too long. Almost a whole day, and all of them were going on very little sleep, making the possibility of an error very likely.

His brother had his back though, and they knew they'd get reinforcement soon.

In that moment he saw Katsu come running towards them, a very serious expression on his face.

Madara had ordered him to take one of their prisoners a safe distance away, and get him to talk. The situation was very confusing, and they wanted to know as much as possible before some unpleasant surprise revealed itself.

"It's bad. He was though at first, but eventually I got him to talk." Said Katsu as he came up on Madara's side.

At the moment their enemy had retreated. They were just as tired, but at least they had a larger force than they did. It was just the twelve of them, two boarder guard groups against thirty fucking rebels who seemed to have back ups to switch with.

At the moment it was Izuna's job to keep watch and be backup, to make sure no opponent suddenly charged forwards. Tōka was leading the ones holding them off while Izuna and his brother helped anyone who needed it. They had both led the attack so far, and needed a break.

"What did he say?" Asked Madara without taking his eyes of the fighters. Izuna had forced him with tooth and nail away from the front line, so he would rest for an hour before rejoining the battle.

While his brother might think otherwise, he needed to save his chakra as much as he needed to rest his body.

"He said they formed an alliance with the Yuki clan, and there's more coming..." He trailed off as ice nails flew towards them. It was directed at Tōka, but she had already gotten out of the way.

"That makes the Yuki clan now allied with the Akebino, Terumī and Hōzuki." Muttered Madara, his eyes harder than earlier. He glanced quickly at Katsu, wordlessly ordering him to continue.

"There are more coming, we might consider this a war now. Uzu was attacked shortly after Mito's death… but we haven't heard anything, at least I haven't. So Uzushiogakure has put up a complete barrier around their village. Meaning a complete shut down. No one goes in or out anymore, there's too many opponents for them to handle, since _apparently_ some clans from Lightning Country came to join in. They see us as a bigger threat than Uzu, and after the rumours of Mito's death they have guessed correctly that our alliance with Uzu is shaky. They are attempting to pick us down one at a time." Katsu took a deep breath and looked concernedly in the direction of their opponents.

"I asked how they imagined winning against us. We're stronger than ever before. I mean, everyone knows Konoha is the strongest village in all five countries. He died shortly after I asked this, but he muttered something about a weapon." Katsu explained quickly while Izuna felt his shoulders tense.

"Nothing else?" Asked Madara, for the first time taking his eyes of the battle and looking back at the older man.

"No, just… I don't think he was talking about a fancy katana. It seemed like something a lot more dangerous."

Izuna and Madara automatically turned towards the fighting. Both clutching their weapons tightly. Izuna peeked at his brother in concern.

They probably wouldn't use whatever it was right now. It seemed a waste of energy to keep battling for this long only to use their weapon at the very end. No, they were plotting something. Something Izuna had just decided wouldn't happen.

* * *

_Naruto sat on Kurama's claw while thinking hard. Her hands where folded tightly about her, and her face was skewed up in concentration. Kurama musing about their situation as always in the background._

_'Brat, we have to assume black Zetsu used his Mangekyō to rile up the other bijū, it makes the most sense to me. Son attacking that village always felt off.' Grumbled the fox with a deep exhale._

_The blond nodded absent mindedly, her focus rather on the problem with master Yasu, and if she really was going to do this. 'It doesn't explain too much though. He isn't an Uchiha… I don't get it. I never got the impression Kakashi-sensei was too good with his own given Sharingan, how can Black Zetsu use it to that degree?' Asked Naruto tiredly._

_'Because he was made from Kaguya. In a way he is of the same blood as the Uchiha. That rabbit was the first with the rinnegan, so it would make sense that ink blotch can use that cursed blood line. He could even use wood release when merging with white Zetsu, but they were weak, so his techniques became weak as well. His greatest ability is definitely that he can take in and use external powers, and we never got the chance to see just how good he was with that. He severely wounded Uchiha Madara with one blow. Someone with the power and healing ability of my old man, clearly he was making us underestimate him. If you remember earlier Sasuke split Madara's body in two, and that barely hindered him at all. But one blow from black Zetsu through the chest and he's completely defeated... That sly abnormality.' Kurama rambled on while Naruto sighed._

_It was so hard to go looking for a black puddle. But the fact that he'd been so close to Konoha gave her both the chills and hope. It meant there was something he wanted to do here. Probably make chaos, and Naruto could guess he wasn't glad about the alliance._

_After all his hard work for war and destruction amongst the three descending clans of Ashura and Indra, and then suddenly all three had been within the same village. Eating, drinking and creating bonds… It hardly added up with what she knew of his plans._

_But killing Mito, though… That didn't fit his usual style._

_It was very forwards, and he'd gained a lot of attention because of it. He must have been more cornered than he had expected to become, got rash and acted for his own survival more than his plans._

_Zetsu was scared of her._

_Madara had told her everything he'd said, and from what she heard it was clear he had focused on making Madara doubt her. Which meant she herself might become a target next… She wasn't scared of him though. Naruto wasn't scared of death either… Not anymore._

Naruto was shaken out of her concentration by Shin. He was looking at her with a worried expression and his hand on her shoulder.

"Captain? Are you alright?" He wondered aloud while the rest of her squad turned to look at her.

"Yes..." She answered slowly, looking around to see that they were still in the forest heading for the boarders.

"Look up there, captain." Said Yuko, pointing into the air where a bird was sailing by very quickly. She recognised it even from a distance. It was Mamoru, Madara's falcon summon.

Naruto was suddenly struck by a deep sense of urgency. As if she was heading in the wrong direction. She was in the wrong location, and there was not much time left. Mamoru had it right. He was heading back to Konoha. Just where Naruto should have been too.

"I have to go."

The words were out before she'd thought them through.

"Well, we all do, but you suddenly stopped. You sure you're alright?" Asked Shin, now studying her face for signs of illness.

"I'm needed in Konoha. You'll have to do without me." Said Naruto with certainty, turned, and ran away in the direction they had come from earlier.

"Captain!" Shouted Yuko while they stared confused after her.

* * *

"Naruto? Already back?" Asked Hashirama as the blonde burst into his office without knocking.

Parts of her armor was dangling in her hand, which didn't surprise him. She hated it after all and had never been shy about telling him that. However, right now she should be wearing it, and not be in the village, but on the boarders fulfilling her mission.

"I… Had to come back with some urgent information." She said and closed her eyes.

Hashirama tensed in his chair, he hated news like this, and hoped anxiously that everyone was okay. "What's happening?" He asked while his friend opened her eyes, looking far away and haunted while she looked at the Hokage.

"I'm… I'm going after Black Zetsu. But before I do..." She took a deep breath while Hashirama's fists clenched hard. It was strange to see Naruto looking so torn and resolved at the same time, and it didn't explain why she had not gone to reinforce the troops as she'd been ordered to.

"Is that thing in the attack?" Asked Hashirama suddenly extremely worried. Maybe he should go as well then, it made sense if that's why she came back, but when he though more about it, anyone could have done that. Naruto was invaluable, and her presence in the battle was worth more than her being here delivering this message. Why didn't she send someone else?

"Zetsu? No, at least I don't think so…?" She answered frustratedly, and without an invitation she sat down on a chair in the corner of the office. "I never got there, I was needed here because of master Yasu's failing strength. He'll die soon and I need to do what's needed before then. It's… It's my only shot. I sent sent the rest ahead." She said and sighed heavily.

"What's going on, Naruto?" He asked, now even more worried then earlier. This didn't make sense at all.

"I'm going to use a technique called the edo tensei. If successful it resurrect the dead. For it to have a chance of working you need a living sacrifice. And master Yasu has volunteered." She explained and leaned back in her chair. By now Hashirama had frozen, staring widely at Naruto with his mouth half open. Was she-? Was she going to bring someone back to life? Bring… Mito?

He didn't notice how quick his breathing had become or the growing feeling in his chest, before she suddenly got to her feet and shook her head. "No.. Not Mito..." She said silently while she started pacing the office.

Hashirama felt his stomach clench, but tried not to show his pain outwardly. "I'm sorry, Hashirama. But it's not like that, the person wont be truly alive, just a temporary being forced back into the world of the living. While under the edo tensei they can't be killed, they will have endless chakra, and in general be more like a walking and talking corpse than a living human being. They will have their old personality and techniques as well..." She paused shortly in her stride to calm down before continuing her walking.

"I need to get rid of black Zetsu, but you have no idea how fucking hard that thing is to take down. I need to seal him, I need someone with a special yin chakra. And currently that person isn't alive." Naruto looked hard into Hashirama's eyes. "I don't have much time, I need your clearance. Master Yasu has already informed Kurou and Hachirou of this as well, and they will inform Uzu as soon as it's done. They're with him now." She stopped her walking and came up to his desk with careful steps. Hashirama had a feeling it was more forced then natural.

"So Yasu-dono… Will be a sacrifice? He's very sick, Naruto… Won't that make the edo tensei weak as well?" He asked uncertainly. Trying to wrap his head around this as best as he could. Why she suddenly seemed in a great hurry and why on earth he hadn't been told of this earlier was discomforting.

"Not really. I've seen edo tensei people have their upper body blown off and they still walked around until their bodies reshaped itself. The technique is very dangerous though. So I'll leave no trace of it for other to use later. In the wrong hands this is lethal, Hashirama. They never tire, never dies and have unlimited amounts of chakra. It's good that I'm the only one who knows it so far. Let it stay that way." She said pointedly, and Hashirama felt both weary and extremely curious as to how she knew this.

"Where did you learn this?" He asked instead, prolonging his answer because truthfully he was very nervous about the state of Naruto. She wasn't acting like herself at all. He hadn't heard her say 'dattebayo' since Mito died either.

"I sort of taught myself with the help of Kurama. I've seen it done though, but the caster who used it isn't alive." She explained and sighed. "Yes or no Hashirama? You should know I'll use it either way." Naruto said and folded her arms in front of her.

For a long while they looked at each other. Their eyes not blinking as if they were trying to psyche out each other. Slowly Hashirama nodded. "You'll have my clearance, as long as I get to watch the procedure, and I'll have master Yasu confirm what you just said. And… I just got word from Madara. They say there's a really bad fight at the moment. Multiple clans are attacking us. I need you there, is that possible on top of this edo tensei?" The Hokage asked, trying to say it more like an order, but failing slightly at the end.

Naruto nodded, and before Hashirama had gotten to his feet she was out of the window and heading for the hospital.

* * *

In the corridor outside Yasu's room stood Kurou with hands folded and his shoulders stiff. The young man looked up the moment Hashirama came in and breathed a sigh of relief. "Hashirama..." He said uncertainly as the Hokage came up to him. "She's started the… ritual." He said slightly confused and pointed at the door behind him. "He's been weak all day, holding on more out of stubbornness if you ask me..." He said trying to make a joke but failing miserably.

It was odd seeing the usual strict and rule abiding man now at a loss for what to do, looking younger than usual and very helpless.

"She was supposed to wait." Was all Hashirama replied with furrowed brows.

"She couldn't… He's in a lot of pain and got worse a couple of hours ago. You'll just prolong his suffering and he might not make it much longer anyway. Take my word for it, Hashirama. Naruto didn't want to do this, it was his choice, it was master Yasu who suggested it. Do you think I'd be here if it wasn't?" Said Kurou with his eyes set, and some of his usual aura back. With a small nod Hashirama walked past him and into the hospital room.

Inside Yasu was sitting in the corner with his eyes closed and breathing heavily. Naruto sat a couple of steps away with a blank expression, and Hashirama noticed the fresh wound on his arm.

"You had to hurt him?" Asked Hashirama with boiling anger in his voice. The old ninja then looked up at him, and he could see nothing but conviction in his eyes.

"This was... my... choice. I believe… Naruto-san… can do this." Yasu said slowly. Hashirama couldn't fight the discomfort on his face. It was very obvious that the seal master wouldn't be able to hold on much longer, and he looked back at the blonde sitting on the floor.

"Ready?" Asked Naruto with her hands ready in a seal. Her face still hard and avoid of emotion.

"I leave... the rest to you, Naruto… I'm ready. Make it right."

With blazing eyes she started going through hand seals, but Hashirama was instead looking at the sacrifice, who didn't look away from Naruto. His pale wrinkled face looking tense and ready for an impact. It was very unsettling to watch.

His mind started working very fast as he wondered what would happen next. How this technique could possibly work at all. Who was being resurrected? Why hadn't he asked that? Why couldn't it be Mito? Was this really necessary?

Naruto had been more or less obsessed with this creature for a long time. Had she finally snapped? It felt more like a mistake the more he looked at the man who'd volunteered to sacrifice himself.

For a split second his face wavered, doubt seeping into his expression and his eyes looked down and away from his executor.

Hashirama stepped forwards, his right hand starting to stretch out towards Naruto, but then the seal master made an angry sound. He was staring daggers at Hashirama who halted in his track. Their eyes met, and for a moment Hashirama felt a strange understanding with the man. He too, would have died for the sake of Mito, so who was he to stop Uzuni Yasu from doing the same?

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei."

* * *

They watched as a light washed over the room. How Yasu's appearance was emerged in an odd substance. Small pieces of paper covering every inch of his body, and from within they heard a piercing scream of agony.

Naruto had gotten to her feet while they watched, clutching Hashirama's hand tightly, making him able to feel how her hand shook in sorrow as she watched Yasu disappear completely.

In his wake stood Izuna. Or at least that was Hashirama's first thought.

At a second glance he noticed the defined differences. This man was a little shorter, most likely because he looked like he was at the end of his teens, but it felt wrong to call him a boy. Something about him screamed maturity despite his obvious young age. His eyes and face resembled Izuna's greatly, but his mouth was what separated them most. His lips was thinner and turned downwards in a clear expression of discomfort. Or nervousness. Or anger. It was hard to decide.

The edo tensei made sure to show what he was though.

His skin looked more like paper than actual skin, it was cracked like stone, and peeling off slightly here and there as he finally opened his eyes. Pieces of paper still whirling in the air around him, and slowly fastening to the body of the young man.

He looked confused for a moment, his stare intent on Hashirama, before his eyes wandered to the smaller figure next to him who had tensed up so much Hashirama wasn't sure she was breathing anymore.

Seeing the many emotions crossing Naruto's face while staring at the man, Hashirama felt he was intruding on something private.

Who was he to her?

For a long while none of them spoke, but then the man stepped forwards while looking at his hands. The skin like texture was pealing off and resealing itself as he watched.

Hashirama had no problem reading the fury in his eyes as he seemed to figure out what was going on. Taking a deep breath he looked up again so his bangs fell away from his face. In his right eye span the Mangekyō Sharingan, and in the other was a strange circled patterned eye that Hashirama had never seen before.

"Naruto."

His eyes bore into Naruto's, his brows furrowing and his mouth frowning even more. Whatever he was thinking, it was negative and seemed to piss him off.

They stood in silence for over a minute, his attention wandering from the blonde and back to Hashirama, and then to the dark room they were inside. Night had closed in on them and the moon was visible through the window.

"How come you two aren't like me?" Was the first question he asked, now studying his own skin with interest. "Senju Hashirama is dead, and so are you, Naruto. I saw it myself." He continued with a forced calm about him.

Hashirama tried very hard to understand what he was getting at. There was too much about him that didn't make sense, not just his appearance, but his words as well.

He'd never seen this man before, but he was clearly an Uchiha. He was certain he'd known all of them, so this must be someone who died when Hashirama was young. Someone who were killed when Hashirama was twelve or younger. How on earth did Naruto know this person? And why did he believe they all should be dead?

"I will explain everything on the road. Right now we need to go hunt Black Zetsu." Naruto answered seriously, and Hashirama noticed how his eyes hardened at her instruction. So he knew this creature too?

"That parasite? What about Kaguya?" He wondered, and took another step forwards. "And I want answers. You look different… Older? How is that possible? We died at the same age." He asked and shook his head. "If you're a edo tensei like I am, how come your eyes are normal? And your skin… You look alive. Him too." He said and nodded towards Hashirama.

"What does he mean? Why does he believe you died? And who is that?" Asked Hashirama curiously looking down at Naruto who was struggling with her facial expressions while looking back at the Uchiha.

"I didn't die… I was sent back. Some sort of space-time ninjutsu, I ended up exactly where we had been fighting earlier. That area where we hid under your susanoo when the infinate tsukomi started. I didn't recognise it though, everything was so different, and there was just a large forest wherever I went. I was also younger, six years old and neither Kurama or I understood what had happened for many days. But…" She looked at Hashirama and swallowed.

"I met Hashirama and Madara when they were twelve, and I was thirteen..." She said seriously while the Uchiha's eyes snapped back to Hashirama while Naruto continued explaining. "I've been working on getting rid of Black Zetsu ever since, but I have had problems catching him, he is so good at running away. It also seems like my jutsu have very little effect on him. If I stab him he doesn't bleed, if I try ninjutsu he escapes through the earth. No matter what I do… He still lives on… I need to seal him away, I need your yin ability to use the permanent sealing we were going to us on Kagyua where there's no chance of escaping. You need to help me, that's why I forced you back."

For a moment Sasuke didn't speak, and Hashirama had the impression he was thinking very hard, very fast, and from the looks of it he understood a lot more then Hashirama did. Then he sighed while closing his eyes. "You… time travelled?"

At this Hashirama felt like his eyes would pop out of their sockets. Time travel? Why would he come to that conclusion? Why would he assume she had done something so far fetched? With a jolt he remembered the Uchiha's confusion as to why he himself had been alive. Like him living was something not possible. He felt his throat dry up and looked sharply at Naruto.

Time travel…

"Who did it?" Asked the raven haired man while looking intently at the blonde. Naruto swallowed while sending an uncertain peek up at Hashirama.

"You know… The old guy." Naruto answered and held up her hand with her palm up. Her bandaged hand in a posture as if to stop the man from coming closer. With an intense look at her hand he nodded while deactivating his odd Sharingan. The different coloured eyes turning a similar shade of black.

"Why didn't he send me then?" He pressed on, and Naruto sighed and looked impatiently towards the window.

"He said you wouldn't have survived it. That only someone with my type of healing power as a jinchūriki and Uzumaki could have dealt with it. There was nothing else that could have been done, at least according to what he told me later. As you said; I should be dead, but instead he… sent me back." Naruto tried to explain growing a bit frustrated.

The atmosphere in the room was growing very strange. Mostly because Naruto and the stranger seemed to know each other very well, but Hashirama couldn't decide if that was as friends or enemies.

"When are we then? Is this Konoha? And who did the edo tensei? In fact, how the hell could anyone do the edo tensei on me at all? I'm not even born yet and you needed my blood." Started the man and stepped closer. While his words spoke of confusion, he didn't look anything but in control.

"I did the edo tensei by using one of your hairs, but it's a long story, Sasuke. We don't have time for chit-chat or catching up because we should be moving instead." Replied Naruto impatiently.

"You?" Asked the Uchiha now identified as Sasuke, and for the first time there was some surprise on his face. His eyebrows rising up and his eyes widening slightly. "Didn't think you had that in you."

"Let's go, we'll talk on the way." Said Naruto and walked towards the window. But the Uchiha stood firmly in place when she turned to look if he was following. "Why aren't you coming? You seemed willing enough to fight Kagyua. Changed your mind again?" Asked Naruto bitterly while studying Sasuke.

Hashirama felt the tension in the room rise slowly. They stood very still, sizing each other up as if they were weary of one another. Why had Naruto resurrected someone like that?

"You ask me to help you?" Sneered the Uchiha while placing his right hand on his hip, his left fingering the hilt of a blade.

"No. I'm telling you to." Said Naruto, her voice going down an octave as she answered him. Her hand slowly going up in a sign, as if she were about to attack with some ninjutsu or challenging Sasuke to spar.

"So you're going to control me, are you? Have you even thought this through, Naruto? Whenever you release me I know how to counter it. If you don't remember anymore; I was trained by Orochimaru. I know how to counter the edo tensei and I'll just stick around. Never dying, never tiring. Continuing what I was doing when I was interrupted by getting killed." He said casually, and Hashirama felt the corner of his mouth turn downwards. For some reason that sounded like a threat, but who it was directed at was uncertain. For some reason his survival instinct had kicked in.

"If you help me seal black Zetsu then we'll fight, I wont control you to save myself." Replied Naruto, her face just as determined, but her eyes looking slightly hurt. Torn in two somehow.

For a long moment they watched each other, neither blinking as the tension grew to new heights. "I'm immortal, Naruto. There's no way you'll win that battle. Even with the kyūbi's power, I'll win." Answered the Uchiha, his hand leaving the hilt of his blade and falling lazily to his side. A spark glowing in his eyes as he took in every reaction Naruto revealed. "I'll kill you."

Hashirama had stepped forwards before his final words were finished. Truly angry at him for threatening one of his closest friends. Maybe his best friend. His only sister.

"Then so be it."

He stopped in his track, his head flying sideways to Naruto who looked resolved and calm. As if this was something she'd been expecting.

"What? Why? There's no way I'll let you die, Naruto!" He exclaimed before looking back at the Uchiha. "Who is this? Why would you..." _Why would you bring back someone like this?_

"He has the power we need to seal black Zetsu. And..." She looked directly at Sasuke now, her eyes so intense they seemed to light up. "He is my friend. I once said we'll die if we fought one another. But since we never got the time to do that… Well, it wouldn't be the first time you tried to kill me, and yet here I am." She said clearly and finally looked away from Sasuke who nodded.

"I guess you can understand better now." Answered Sasuke and walked towards her. "You miss them."

She closed her eyes for a moment before looking back at the man, her blank facade dissolving into a truly pained expression for the first time.

"I've changed time. There is a very good possibility I've already killed both of us. We probably won't be born." She explained, her words being answered by silence. "But it's too late to fix that, and we need to leave. Will you help me?" Her words were careful at the end.

"Hn." He answered and turned toward the window. Naruto looked at his back with a small, wistful smile and pained eyes as he climbed out. With a last look at Hashirama she followed after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it!
> 
> There's really not many chapters left now. Maybe five, give or take a chapter, it's a bit hard to tell...
> 
> Please forgive any grammar mistakes, they occur since english is not my native language, and grammar was never my strong subject in school either...


	24. Bolide

**Chapter twenty** **three** **–** **Bolide**

__A_ _ __bolide__ _ _is an extremely bright_ _ __meteor__ _ _, especially one that explodes in the atmosphere. In astronomy, it refers to a_ _ __fireball_ _ __approximately as bright as the_ _ __full moon__ _ _, and it is generally considered a synonym of a fireball. In geology a bolide is a very large_ _ __impactor._ _

* * *

Hashirama stared for a whole minute at the window before shaking his head in an attempt to get his thoughts in order. Nervously he looked back at the entranced door where he wondered if Kurou was still waiting. He had not come in when master Yasu had screamed, nor during their conversation. Maybe he had left?

He was also contemplating what all this really meant. There was suddenly the absurd possibility that Naruto - his childhood friend and someone who he had always felt he knew - was a time traveller.

And if this was true, was she from the future or the past? From the way the stranger had talked it sounded like the future, Sasuke had known his name and said he should be dead. That they weren't born yet. It had to be the future...

How far into the future then? Five years? Twenty years? Maybe even forty? But that would be absurd. It was further than he could even imagine. It was twice as long as Hashirama had even been alive. Longer than most lived in total.

How on earth had that come to be? Who was the 'old guy' who had done it? Naruto had also said she had killed them both by changing time. What did that mean? Had she killed their counterparts by killing their parents or something? So they would not be born? That seemed too much out of character for Naruto, and he didn't see the point of it anyway. Maybe killing that Uchiha could be justified. He seemed odd. Slightly unhinged. Not right somehow. Especially since he was talking about killing his friend.

With a deep breath he tried to make sense of the chaos inside his mind. This was far from the first time Naruto had either surprised or even shocked him. Her being a jinchūriki had truly been an eye opener, and it had taken him a long time to come to terms with it. His eyes narrowed then.

Naruto was a jinchūriki.

Could that have happened in the future?

His head was so full of questions he had a hard time focusing on what mattered and what needed to be done first, time travel stuff was not the most critical thing right now.

He looked down at the spot Yasu had been sitting just ten minutes ago.

The area looked just as it had been earlier. A bit of dirt stuck to the corners where the cleaning staff had been less thorough in their job. The small table lamp still giving a warm and weak light which filtered through the room.

What was he supposed to do now? When would Naruto even return? Was there even anything he could do? And Sasuke…

Hashirama had three choices.

The first one was to go back to the office and drink a bottle of sake. It was quite tempting. Maybe he'd even find Nara Shika and ask him if he wants to bet on the result of the next genin exam.

The second option was to go back to his office and do some work, and maybe inform his brother about the latest event. It was less tempting. His brother would get really angry for letting Naruto do what she just did. Probably give him a speech about inter village relationship and the code of conduct between clans.

The third was following the duo out the window and demand answers.

With a snort he realized there had never been a choice to begin with.

* * *

Naruto looked at Sasuke running over the rooftops with her. They were heading for the gate in silence and she was having problems looking away from him.

Even if he still was set on the path of destruction and revenge. Even if he hated her and had completely given up on their friendship. Just looking at him made her heart sing.

Sasuke was here. In the past. With Naruto.

Sasuke was someone who knew her better then anyone in this time line, and he had agreed to help out. She wasn't even controlling him. This was his choice, and it made her chest lighten a bit. The heavy weight on her chest had eased up slightly and she was basking in joy from the simple pleasure of seeing someone she thought had been lost to her forever.

Naruto had missed this bastard so much she felt her eyes tear up, but forced the tears back. If she didn't get her act together soon Sasuke would probably call her an idiot and remind her that they had an assignment he wanted to get done, so she better get a grip on herself. For a change, Sasuke bad mouthing her would actually make her happy now. The thought made her chuckle and draw Sasuke's attention back to her.

For a moment they just looked at each other. Something passing between them that she hadn't felt with him since before the chūnin exam.

Understanding.

Despite how much she fought it, Naruto felt the corner of her mouth lift up. Sasuke didn't react to it, but his eyes was a bit less hard than earlier.

Yes, Naruto did understand Sasuke better after getting thrown into the past. She, just like him, had lost everyone she loved.

Everything she had fought for.

All her accomplishments.

Even her own identity.

They were all gone.

"Naruuuuto!" Cried suddenly a deep male voice from behind them just as they came to a stop in front of the gates. Two guards visible at each end of the opening were looking curiously in their direction.

"Hashirama?" Asked Naruto uncertainly and peeked at Sasuke to see his reaction. He looked as he always did. Unreadable. Of course.

"I'll come with you." Exclaimed the Hokage as he stopped in front of them. Naruto's eyes widening and her mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"But… The village?" She asked and gestured to the buildings behind him. Most were asleep by now, and there was barely a lit window to be seen in any of the dwellings.

"Oh, I'm sure Tobirama can deal with everything while I'm out." He answered with a slightly nervous smile.

"Does he know you're leaving?" Asked Sasuke with on eyebrow raised, his voice dripping with scepticism.

"Um… No. But he'll be fine. My brother knows most of what needs to be done anyway." Explained Hashirama and Naruto looked hard at him. She was under the impression that Tobirama would ground his older brother for the rest of his term in office whenever he found out about this.

"Your choice." Said Sasuke with a shrug while Naruto bit her lip uncertainly.

Was this a good idea? He already knew way too much, and if he came along he'd be bound to find out even more. She had to explain things to Sasuke, and there was no one who could stop Sasuke from saying whatever he wanted. And her first best friend wanted answers, just like Hashirama apparently did too. Was this the best way to deal with this?

"Alright." Naruto said hesitantly, pretty sure her reluctance was visible on her face and turned to walk with the other two up to the gate.

She noticed Hana was one of the guards today, Naruto was trying to figure out how to explain the situation when she noticed the Uchiha was looking wide eyed at Sasuke. Confusion written all over her face as she tried to figure out who he was. It was obvious Sasuke was too out of place to pass by discreetly.

"Are you leaving Hokage-sama?" She asked after an awkward silence. While Hana was talking to Hashirama, her eyes kept glancing towards Sasuke. The guy didn't seem faced by it, and looked more bored then anything else from the guard's behaviour. It didn't surprise Naruto, after all, Sasuke had never lacked attention and was well used to ignoring people in general.

"Yes, I'm leaving with Naruto to catch up with Madara." He said smiling reassuringly to the young woman who nodded absent-mindedly.

At the name of Madara Naruto noticed Sasuke's hand twitch slightly, making Naruto wonder how on earth she was going to explain that one…

* * *

Madara was jumping sideways as an incoming kunai swirled towards him.

At his best this fight would have been over and done with in less then five minutes, but right now he was exhausted. Dawn was upon them, and he had now been fighting more or less constantly for over a day.

Their backup had arrived last evening, and thank kami for that, since he was unsure how much more some of his subordinates could take.

He was now also worried about Naruto, who apparently had ditched her mission to come back them up. Which was not only uncharacteristic of her, but also spoke of some emergency somewhere else.

He looked quickly over to where his younger brother was fighting, reassuring himself that he was still alright, before charging down his opponents. Using his gunbai in creative ways he managed to disarm his enemy before swinging it like a bat to hit her hard in her side, making the Yuki woman fly a few meters where she fell unconscious.

For a few moments he took his lack of opponents as a way to catch up on his breathing. Madara was sweaty and dirty by now, feeling slightly light headed as he looked around and noticed with a jolt that Katsu was missing.

Automatically he sought out his brother again. Finding him engaged with two Terumī ninjas.

They just kept coming.

When they took down one, another replaced them, it was like Naruto's kage bunshin and her endless chakra reserves. One could always be replaced.

It didn't make any sense, since he knew perfectly well that __no one__ used their ninjas like this.

They might be foot soldiers, but their captains couldn't possibly be stupid enough to use this much force on just four groups of Konoha shinobi. There was still many of their strongest ninjas not here, like Naruto and Hashirama, hell, even Tobirama. Not to mention some of the ninjas within all the other clans which now made up Konoha.

What the hell were they after?

He noticed how they targeted him and Izuna specifically, but that was just good thinking. They were known as the strongest within the Uchiha clan, so of course they would try to get them out of the picture.

Katsu was seen as the third strongest, and had seemingly been taken down, at least Madara couldn't sense him anymore. Where was he? He wasn't amongst the fallen bodies lying around either.

Were they after the Sharingan? It wouldn't be the first time, but there was no way he'd let them get that.

Again, he wondered where the hell Naruto was and why on earth she wasn't here to help like she was supposed to be.

Forcing himself to calm down he prepared for his next opponent - an old Yuki ninja who'd been throwing ice needles at them for half a day - and tried to remind himself that wherever she was his blonde was more then strong enough to take care of herself.

* * *

With his hand folded tightly, his eyes hard and his mouth set in a frown, Tobirama stared hard at Hana who stood nervously in front of him.

His mind was spinning with different scenarios which would force his older brother, __the__ Hokage of Konoha, to leave his village without a word when he knew perfectly well that they were under threat.

Naruto had been with him, and some unknown guy who'd resembled Izuna - but wasn't him.

What on earth was going on? Why hadn't he been informed of this? Now the village was basically under his responsibility. No one had gone straight out and said it, but from the way everyone was coming to him to receive orders, it was more than obvious.

Itama seemed just as confused, he hadn't heard anything either, and that pissed him off even more.

Tobirama tried to focus on his anger so he didn't have to be worried. Because if he was worried for his older brother - who hadn't even had the decency to leave a note - then he might take it out on some poor bastard who would be in the wrong pace at the wrong time, and most likely asking the wrong question.

Tobirama detested not having all the facts.

"So he said he'd go help Madara? Did he at least explain why he felt his presence was needed? Both his, Naruto and this random look-alike?" He asked, coming off as perfectly calm, even though his insides were in an uproar.

"No, he didn't-" But Hana was stopped in the middle of the sentence by the office door being opened with surprising force, and a nurse came sprinting in. His eyes wide and full off fright.

"What?" Tobirama asked urgently, forgetting that Hana was still technically giving her report, but much more worried about whatever this man had to say instead.

"Uzuni Yasu is missing. We can't find him. I went into his room half an hour ago with his breakfast, but he wasn't there, and then we searched, but still nothing!" He said all this in one breath, and Tobirama's self preservation instinct kicked in immediately.

That instinct was constantly looming in the back of his mind and made sure he always covered every base so things went as smoothly as possible.

It was the one that made him nag at his younger brother whenever he did something careless, since he couldn't bare the thought of his brother ever getting hurt.

The instinct which always made him double check Hashirama's work so he wouldn't miss anything and that way make sure his older brother was doing well.

Because if they were okay, then so was he.

The instinct which always went off at full force whenever something dodgy was happening in his village, the old on or the new, it didn't matter. They were both his village now.

And right now, the alarm bell was blasting inside his chest as he looked back at the man in white yukata, sweating bullets while he waited for Tobirama's reply.

_Great._ This was just what he needed to make his day complete, and it wasn't even lunch time yet.

* * *

They were hiding behind the boulders as another attack blared towards them. This time a fire technique. It wasn't as good as what most of the Uchiha could manage, but seeing as all of them were out of chakra it meant their opponents attacks were a hell of a lot more potent than their own.

Madara cursed as he dragged his brother behind him. Making sure he was covered from two sides. The boulders behind him, and Madara in front.

Tōka was lying unconscious in Shin's arms with a nasty burn over half her face. The smell of burnt skin was being ignored by them all, but they couldn't ignore it completely.

"Fuck. What the hell is going on? I thought there was a group of rebels at the borders, not a damn army." Muttered Shin hastily and held Tōka a bit tighter to his chest. "Why the hell did captain have to go back?" He finished, and all of them silently agreed.

"She's not here. Which means we'll just have to do without her right now." Snapped Izuna and tried to wriggle free from his position, but Madara pushed back and made sure he stayed put.

"We're surrounded, Madara-sama. What do we do?" Asked Yuko and swallowed heavily. The backup had done most of the main fighting since they arrived, but they hadn't been strong enough to allow the rest of them to get some rest.

Madara closed his eyes. Already knowing what he had to do, but knowing there was no way in hell he'd make it. He was out of chakra. His body felt like led. But they needed a decoy, and that could only be him.

"I'll go. You guys get back. Run to Konoha as fast as possible to get help, I'll distract them." He answered, and felt his brother stiffen behind him.

"No." Hissed Izuna and he felt his hand gripping hard over his upper arm. "I'll go." He said instead, which pissed Madara off even more.

"Forget it, Izuna. I'm going. I'm the leader here, and you guys are my responsibility. Out of all of us I'm the most likely to succeed, so stay here until I have their attention, and then fucking run. You." He said and turned to a guy he couldn't remember the name off. A Yamanaka chūnin he'd met properly for the first time today. "Make sure my brother follows, fail to do this and consider it a breach of order."

His words held complete certainty, his eyes hard and his mind decided. If his brother got out of here he would survive, and that would make everything else worth it.

The Yamanaka nodded seriously, and he moved next to Izuna who was gripping his brother's arm so hard it was stopping his blood flow, and would definitely leave a bruise.

With one last glance at his brother he turned and threw himself out of their hiding place. Knowing he had only taijutsu and kinjutsu at his disposal, and having to make due with that.

Their enemies had been sneaking in slowly, and he managed to take down one before he'd gotten properly to his feet. Using his kama to cut the guy's throat.

Ice needles flew at him again, none of it hitting him since he used his gunbai as a shield. And then moving sideways away from the others in a desperate attempt to get them to follow.

Madara almost gaped when he realized it worked.

How thick were these guys? It was so obvious he was a decoy even a six year old could figure it out.

It became blurry after that, he was fighting fifteen people at once, all who could do ninjutsu while he tried to doge and attack at the same time, and while his hand slashed out, his gunbai turned on it's side to chop some woman in the neck he realized something important.

They weren't trying hard enough.

They weren't trying to kill him, but weakening him. It was what they'd been trying to do all along.

Of course... An important hostage who they could also get a very good pair of eyes from. The eternal Mangekyō Sharingan made possible after he took his father's eyes, and when Izuna unlocked his own Mangekyō Sharingan Madara had given him his own eyes.

So who had been the main target? They knew both his and Izuna's eyes were special compared to other Uchihas. But they didn't know just how special they truly were. No one did except himself, Izuna and Katsu.

And Katsu was gone.

But why would they think holding him hostage would achieve anything? Without his eyes Madara was worth very little, and even they must have realized that.

After all, a blind ninja usually had employment issues, no matter what their old position might have been.

What where they trying to achieve?

How had he let this happen?

A life of war against someone like Hashirama, and then these idiots were going to be the end of him?

Why was his body moving so slow?

Was he about to pass out?

He had so little chakra he couldn't activate his Mangekyō now and his normal sharingan was flickering in and out. Just a bit longer. Keep them occupied just a bit longer, and then the rest would be safe. They'd get help and then these bastards would pay.

With a soaring pain running through his back he realized he'd been stabbed. A blade was sticking into his thigh, and he staggered as the blade was pushed out again and then stabbed into his other thigh where his armor wasn't protecting him.

He fell down, his body too tired to keep up anymore, and stared up as his enemies closed in around him. His teeth gritting together as he slashed out his Kana at the closest blurry figure. But it was stopped, someone had taken a hold of the shaft and pulled on it hard, making Madara loose his grip.

He was defeated.

Hopefully it had been enough.

This was what he knew would happen, all that was left now was to see if he'd been wrong about the hostage thing. Hands gripped his arms and legs. Forcing them still while he felt more then saw someone grab his face, knowing they were about to rip out his eyes, and he brazed himself for the pain. Closing his eyes tightly.

His eyelids were forced open by prying fingers, and all he saw was the palm of a hand with fingers trying to shuffle into the inside of his eyelids.

And then the hand was gone.

He stared up at the cloudy sky before a face obscured the view, looking worryingly down at him.

For a shocked moment he wondered if he had fainted and was now deep in some dream, making him see what he wanted to see instead of what actually was. Because there was no way Hashirama was here.

"Are you okay?" The dream Hashirama asked carefully, and it was only now he realized he was no longer being restrained anymore.

His ears were still rushing with blood, and it made it hard to hear much. His head had been so full with cursing his opponents existence to actually take in what was happening around him.

Shaking his head he realized he was not dreaming, since he was still just as tired and in a lot of pain. Especially in his legs.

With some effort he sat up just in time to see Izuna running towards him with the rest of their group. "Big bro!" He shouted and was suddenly afraid his younger brother was going to throw himself at him in a bone breaking hug. It was what he'd used to do when they were kids, but he was not up to that right now. It would also be extremely humiliating.

As if the situation wasn't enough off that already.

"What? Why are you-?" He started, and was then distracted by the flood of chakra surrounding them. His head snapped to the far right, his eyes seeking out the chakra signature to find his blonde.

Relief washing over him as she saw her go ballistic at their enemies.

He was surprised he hadn't noticed her before now. She was in full kyūbi mode, chakra arms going in every direction as she fought the rest of the army single handedly.

Man, how he loved that woman.

With another shake of his head he tried to get a grip on himself. This was not the time to get distracted, and he noticed Hashirama was already healing him. Green light surrounding his hands as he concentrated on his legs.

"Lie on your stomach, Madara. It will be easier to heal that way."

Tiredly he did as told. Slowly turning and lying down so his head was propped up against his folded arms he got a better view of what was happening with Naruto.

And felt very confused. Because she wasn't alone as he'd previously presumed.

She had help. Some guy was fighting with her, but he was moving so fast it was hard to get a good look at him. As far as he could see he didn't recognise him though. Black hair and pale skin, at least paler than Naruto - even if that didn't say much - and very skilled.

He couldn't place his fighting style together with anyone he knew. And he'd watched all the tests on everyone within the village. What the hell?

"Who?" He asked looking up at Izuna who was now sitting next to him, also watching the fighting with wide eyes.

"No idea." His brother answered as the stranger cut a man in two at the waist. Yes. Cut in two. That was just brutal.

"Eh… That's Sasuke." Said Hashirama in an odd voice. Almost nervous. Peeking over his shoulder he saw the Hokage's eyes flash between Madara's wounds and over to where the duo was fighting.

"Sasuke? That looks nothing like Sasuke." Answered Izuna confused. Madara had to agree, he looked nothing like that guy. For one, he was pretty sure Sasuke was shorter, and he had brown hair, not black.

"Not Sarutobi Sasuke, this is another Sasuke." Answered Hashirama just as Sasuke and Naruto charged in unison at the remaining five enemies. A wind and fire jutsu being released at the same time and flawlessly merging right before it hit their opponents.

"Who is that? He just did the great fireball technique! That's an Uchiha technique." Hissed Yuko from somewhere behind him. Madara didn't comment on it, but he agreed with her. Who the hell was that?

Hashirama didn't have an answer for her, he just told them to ask Naruto later since he'd met Sasuke for the first time last night and didn't really know much about him, except that he seems to know Naruto quite well.

Madara didn't have to see his facial expression to know there was something he wasn't telling them.

"You've been poisoned, Madara." Said suddenly Hashirama, looking hard at his wound.

"What?" Snapped the Uchiha back and turned towards his old friend.

"I don't think it's anything too serious, there isn't a lot of it in here as far as I can find, but you probably feel pretty sluggish. We use this type of poison ourself when holding captives. It's a sedative of sort." Explained Hashirama and started working some more.

"You can fix that right?" Asked Madara tentatively. He knew what Hashirama was talking about, they used it quite frequently on the more dodgier missions they took.

"Well, I can help a little, I don't have an antidote here, and it's really not my area of expertise, but it's not dangerous. It has more of an effect if you were not completely drained of chakra. It gets stronger if it had any chakra to eat off, so you should be fine. I'll try and get some out of you, but really, you can also just wait it out." Explained Hashirama and continued working while Madara sighed.

No wonder he'd been having problems fighting. He just couldn't figure out when he'd been poisoned though. Was the poison in the blade that stabbed his legs? But he'd been out of it even before then.

"Can you tell how I was poisoned?" Madara wondered aloud and Hashirama looked thoughtful for a moment and slowly nodded his head.

"I think you've been hit in your left ankle by a needle or something a bit larger."

Hashirama shrugged as if to point out it was his best guess and looked over at the Yamanaka who was still keeping close to Izuna looking a bit nervous. Of course, he hadn't manage to fulfil his assignment after all.

When on earth had he been hit by a needle though? The only needles had been the ice attacks, and they couldn't be poisoned could they? Maybe if the water had been poisoned then it would make sense, and thinking it over for a second time he settled with that.

He had used his gunbai to protect his upper body and most of his legs, but it couldn't reach down to his ankles.

His attention settled on the two coming towards them now, both looking completely fine, which made his pride take a hit. Why, oh why did they have to come at the last minute when he'd been in such a humiliating situation.

It was cringe worthy.

Madara was already feeling a lot better. Hashirama was one hell off a healer even if it wasn't what he specialized in. He was actually better at healing himself then healing others, but he was a far cry from useless when it came to patching up his comrades.

The Hokage had finished his job and Madara sat up just as Naruto and Sasuke came to a stop in front of the group.

He had already noticed the strangers odd looking eyes of the unknown guy. They were completely abnormal. Not only was his pupil black, but also the white of the eye shared a similar shade, making it hard to understand where he was looking. His skin was cracked, as if he was a dummy who'd been thrown out from the roof of the Hokage tower, and he had an aura of arrogance which could be spotted a mile away.

Getting to his feet he let his question show on his face as he looked at Naruto. One eyebrow rising as he noticed the strange look on her features.

Happy?

Sad?

Anxious?

It was hard to read her, all Madara knew was that something was making her feel strongly. And he could guess what.

When no one said anything he stepped up to the guy named Sasuke and reached out his hand. "I'm Uchiha Madara, thanks for helping, I haven't seen you before but Hashirama said you're named Sasuke." His hand hang loosely in the air while Sasuke looked emotionless at it, making no attempts to take it.

"Are you both deaf and stupid too?" He added, feeling his temper rise at the clear rejection and impoliteness of this stranger.

"Sasuke." Said Naruto warningly, and the stranger looked coldly back at Madara before turning to the blonde.

"Now that we've saved this pointless group of people, should we get going?"

It wasn't just Madara who got pissed off by that comment, and Izuna took a furious step forwards. "What the hell? There's no need to be rude. We've been fighting for over a day non stop, outnumbered and without rest. Just because you came when there was barely anyone left and got the easy portion doesn't prove anything of your strength. At least none of us has to hide behind Naruto to come off as strong." He snapped, pointing accusingly at him in seething in anger.

Sasuke studied his brother for a second, and it was only then Madara realized how much they looked like one another. Same face shape and eyes, similar nose and even their hair would be similar if Izuna chopped some of his own off.

"Who is this? I haven't seen him before." Asked Madara and looked at Naruto for answer this time.

"This is Sasuke. Eh… I've known him since I was a kid..." She said uncertainly, and he noticed how her eyes flickered to Hashirama who was now getting to his feet.

"Sasuke is helping Naruto hunt down black Zetsu, but since I can't go with you I'd think it would be good if you brought Madara along, Naruto." The Hokage said, focusing on the blond who shifted uncertainly from foot to foot. This was news to the Uchiha leader, and he spun on the spot to face the Hokage instead.

"I can't go on some wild ghost chase. I'm needed here. There will be more attacks, Hashirama, and you know that. What the hell is going on?" He made it clear that the question was made to both of his childhood friends.

"He is not coming." Said Sasuke while looking at Madara, his tone of voice making it seem more like a fact then a suggestion. This made the Uchiha leader even more angry, and he let it show. "We've been delayed for long enough. I thought we didn't have a lot of time?" Said Sasuke in a bored tone.

"We didn't have much time because of this attack, teme. I was supposed to be here long ago but I had to go back and get you first." She said, her tone suddenly more recognisable, her old annoyance slipping through her attempt to be casual.

Madara looked to Hashirama who seemed dead serious. "This is not up for discussion, Naruto. It's an order. Madara is coming with you." He used all his authority in this command, and there was a feeling of uneasiness in his expression, which made Naruto soften a bit.

"I understand you're worried, Hashirama. But there's not much Madara can do, and he's wounded and need to get some sleep, right now he'll just… I'll be fine, there's nothing to worry about." Said Naruto, and Madara had a feeling Naruto was trying to say that his presence would only slow them down, and that didn't sit well with him at all.

Sasuke looked as if this conversation bored him to death, he had one hand on his hip and the other still gripping his blade. It was a facade though, Madara had the feeling Sasuke didn't like whatever was happening.

"I'll go. Hashirama healed me so I'll be fine." Said the Uchiha leader before he could stop himself. For whatever reason he didn't want Naruto to go alone with this stranger, especially because the Hokage seemed hell bent on the same.

"Don't be reckless. When was the last time you slept, Madara?" Asked Naruto with a frown, her eyes again darting to Sasuke, and then back to Madara.

"Two days ago, but that's not the point. We received an order from the Hokage, so I'll be going with you." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders. Naruto looked hard at Hashirama, still not agreeing to this.

"Yes you two have my orders. And before you go off seeking black Zetsu we have a few clans trying to attack us, Naruto. I don't know how you are going to track down black Zetsu, and it might take a very long time. So therefore I believe we have to focus on the threats against Konoha first. You will take Madara with you, let him have some rest first of course, and then you will check on the situation. Pursue the enemies of Konoha and give me an update of how things stand. Madara has his falcon summons and can easier reach me than you can. In other words, black Zetsu comes second right now. I hate that creature as much as you do Naruto, I would like nothing more than seeing that thing dead, but it's not worth your life to catch him. You're have not acted like yourself since my wife's death, and I think you're rushing too much already. Letting Sasuke come here was already a slip of my judgement, you rushed me, and as a precaution I'm sending Madara with you. If Sasuke starts going against you at least I know someone is fighting with you." Said Hashirama harshly, his eyes trailing to Sasuke after he'd spoken his mind.

Madara tried to figure out how exactly going after black Zetsu would be more dangerous then going after their enemies, and came up blank. He was definitely going now, if this Sasuke was a threat to Naruto then there was no doubt about it in his mind.

"I could go with her too." Said suddenly a deep voice, and they all turned to see Kurou standing with his katana pointing downwards while his attention was directed towards Hashirama.

"Kurou." Said Naruto and her fists were now clenched at her side. He was dressed in a black travelling cloak and his red hair was in a disarray. Clearly he must have followed them from Konoha, and been running from a distance so he wouldn't be detected.

"Please reconsider this. Both of you. I'll do as you ask Hashirama. I'll find out what's going on with Konoha's enemies, and I can do this on my own and I can send a clone back to Konoha with reports."

"I'm coming with you, Naruto. Hashirama-dono has no say over what I do. I'll be joining you and so will probably Madara-san." Said the red head while walking closer to the gathering.

Madara sighed and gestured towards the area Naruto and Sasuke had been fighting earlier. It was clear that Naruto was opposed to this, and while the stranger didn't say much, it was clear he didn't seem to like the idea of Kurou to tag along much better than himself.

"Let's stop discussing this. Hashirama did a good job healing me, so I'll be good for now." He explained and waved Naruto towards him. Wordlessly she walked up to him. Sasuke following her movements with hawk eyes which were still impossible to get a clear read on. Was he worried? Angry? Exasperated? It was hard to tell.

"I don't care what you want right now, Naruto. I'm coming with you so stop arguing, we're just wasting time here. And don't think you can get out of explaining this later, eventually I want you to tell me the whole truth." Madara said so low that only Naruto and a few of the ones closest to him such as Izuna overheard it.

The blond jinchūriki's eyes narrowed, but after a few seconds she shrugged and nodded in defeat.

* * *

It was a very tense group of ninjas walking through the forest some hours later. For once Madara and Kurou was completely on the same page, and they stayed next to one another while Sasuke and Naruto walked a few steps in front of them.

Kurou seemed to be as weary of Sasuke as Hashirama had been, and Naruto felt dread seeping into her as she came to the conclusion that Kurou most likely had been listening at the door during the exchange in the hospital room.

He knew.

Only Madara was still confused about what was going on, but he was smart enough to realize Sasuke was not one to be taken lightly. Surprisingly he was refraining from asking, at least for the moment.

Sasuke for his part was keeping up a first class could shoulder towards their two companions.

Every now and then he would send the Uchiha leader a glance, but never said anything, he probably didn't like that Madara was walking behind him either.

They were following a trail the rebels had left behind. It led north east towards the currently empty country between fire country and the borders of lightning.

There had been a lot of people travelling here, it was very obvious from the tramped soil and bushes. Clearly Madara and his groups had been under a lot of pressure at the boarder earlier.

The sight of him being forced down by those enemy ninjas had made her blood go cold the moment they had arrived. For a moment she had panicked, and it was the first time she realised just how much she cared for Madara.

It shouldn't really surprise her should it? Hadn't she saved his brother for much of the same reason? Hadn't Izuna meant so much to Madara she would never have done it. Not just for the future, but for him as a person as well.

Her head tilted downwards while they walked, her thoughts drifting back to the bonds she had here in the past contra those she had back in the future. It was odd that the idea of Madara dying was something very painful to her. She was as attached to him as she had been to her closest friends in the future. Maybe even more.

Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi-sensei. Jiraya and baa-chan. Gaara, her graduation class and team Guy. Madara was now in the same classification as them. Just like Mito had been.

Looking towards him she noticed how pale he was, and looked swiftly away again.

They probably needed to rest soon. Sasuke would be annoyed, but there was no getting away from the fact that all of them except the edo tensei were lacking in sleep.

As evening started colouring the sky in yellow, blue and purple they'd made camp on the edges of a hill, and without any words exchanged Kurou sat down to take the first watch.

He probably already guessed that as a dead person Sasuke wouldn't need to sleep, but still stubbornly stayed awake while Madara and Naruto tried to get some rest.

While Sasuke and Kurou sat wordlessly opposite each other, Madara who lay not to far away from Naruto caught her gaze and held it. She wasn't sure what he was trying to communicate, but the way he didn't blink indicated there was something he wanted her to understand.

The silence continued into the night. No one speaking but everyone wanting answers, Naruto the only one who could answer most of them but also the one reluctant to do so. As Madara finally released her gaze and turned to look up at the sky she let a deep breath out. Copying him she turned to lie on her back.

Konoha was being attacked, and Naruto didn't know if this was something that had happened in the original time line or not.

Sasuke was being unusually patient with her at the moment, or just reluctant to talk with her, it was hard to tell. Kurou was probably questioning her sanity, and was here to make sure Naruto did not do something stupid. And Madara… Yes, where was Madara in all this?

The sky seemed so wast where she lay looking up. She was attempting to change the world and still for it remain the same. But she was just one small person in this very large world.

Naruto might have powers greater than others, but in the end she was alone, and she was so afraid of failing.

Was this what Itachi ad felt on his forsaken mission? This helplessness, with the feeling of being cuffed to her goal? She couldn't escape it, and this had to be seen through, there was no other road for her. Not to see her old friends, not to find peace, not to be selfish.

At all cost, it had to be done.


	25. Vortex

**Chapter twenty** **four** **–** **Vortex**

__A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it, and he_ _ __n_ _ __ce being inescapable or destructive._ _

* * *

"If you're not going back to Konoha, why didn't you go with Madara-sama and captain Naruto?" Asked Shin while brushing away a few strands of hair which had escaped his low ponytail. The man was nineteen and had an uncanny habit of speaking his mind with no filter. It wasn't like he was stupid, but he found it too bothersome to try and be polite.

This had made him unpopular with certain people and reliable to the rest. Naruto absolutely adored him, Hashirama had once heard her say he should start saying 'troublesome' instead of 'bothersome' and then he'd be perfect. Perfect for what? Had Shin asked, but Naruto had just waved her hand and chuckled without answering.

Hashirama was taking the first shift since both Nara Shin and Uchiha Izumi needed rest a lot more than he did. Not only were they close to the boarders of Land of Lightning, but they also had enemies lurking around.

Tobirama would probably have told his older brother this was a stupid idea, which Hashirama should have thought through better before continuing. But against his better judgement the Hokage had stayed behind while the rest of the backup squad had returned to the village.

"Because I didn't want Sasuke to know I was at hand in case something… goes wrong." Explained Hashirama, looking around his post while Shin, who was lying on the grassy ground, looked up at him.

"Sasuke-san is dangerous, isn't he? You sent Madara-sama out to protect captain Naruto. Not to help out." Shin stated certainly, tucking his hands behind his head.

"You say that as if you already know the answer," replied the Hokage, giving the Nara a small smile.

"You seemed uncertain about him. Captain Naruto too, but less than you were." Answered Shin while looking up at the sky. Clouds were gathering and Hashirama had a feeling it wouldn't be too long before it would be raining.

"Who is Sasuke-san? What is wrong with his eyes anyway?" Asked Izumi, voice thick with sleep.

"Eh… He has a… condition." Explained Hashirama while looking pointedly away, all the while trying to figure out something that would divert the subject onto something less… well, bothersome.

"Cracked skin and black eyes? Must be some serious condition then. But I'm guessing it won't hinder him from fighting, or else you wouldn't be this nervous." Muttered Shin while slowly closing his eyes.

"No… He is not likely to have any problems there." Replied Hashirama slightly annoyed. He really didn't want to talk about Sasuke with Shin and Izumi. He only wished he could have gone with Naruto and Madara. Especially since the latter was so tired already, and without rest would be poor help if Sasuke suddenly turned on them.

"He looks like Izuna-san." Stated Izumi without further explanation.

Shin's eyes opened and his head turned in the direction of Izumi. He didn't say anything, but Hashirama guessed he was agreeing since he wasn't contradicting her.

"And he knew the great fireball technique. That's an Uchiha technique. How did he know that?" Asked Izumi, her voice getting steadier while she spoke.

"That, I cannot answer." Said Hashirama, and was pleased with being able to be honest. He had absolutely no idea where or how Sasuke had learned that technique.

* * *

Naruto was woken up by a very grumpy looking Kurou. Her head was blurry and she had a hard time focusing, but after a minute she realised it was her turn to be the lookout. Both for enemy ninjas and for their fourth companion.

Sitting up slowly, she turned her head to look at Sasuke. He was staring blanking at the hills. At least that was what Naruto assumed. It was hard to see properly in the dark, and her eyes hadn't adjusted properly yet.

Kurou only gave a grunt as a goodnight comment, before he lay down on the spot Naruto had been earlier while the blonde found a large rock to sit on. Sasuke turned to look at her for a moment before resuming his watch of their surroundings.

"Nothing to report?" Asked Naruto quietly, her own eyes browsing the bare landscape to her right, and then the forest edge to her left.

It was probably not the smartest place for them to have made camp, but it was better than the alternative. At least they were in the lower part of the terrain, and would most likely spot an enemy before they spotted them.

"No." Sasuke replied simply, still looking away and showing very little interest in making conversation.

They stayed silent for almost half an hour before the Edo Tensei Sasuke finally started paying Naruto any attention.

She had gotten to her feet and was strolling around the camp side while trying to shake off her sleepiness.

The meaningful look Sasuke gave her was enough for her to come back to the stone she'd occupied earlier and wait for what he had to say.

"Kurou should be asleep by now, so keep your voice down. I want the full story, not just vague answered like the ones you give when anyone else is around." Said Sasuke quietly, his mouth barely moving.

"I time travelled, ended up here about… Fifteen years ago. As you already know, I've been trying to catch black Zetsu, but I've failed so far. I met Madara and Hashirama when I was thirteen and became friends with them. I told them about Kaguya and the story that follows with it to make sure Madara didn't fall for black Zetsu's crap again. I've travelled the world many times and I've seen a lot of battles, but rarely been involved with one. I watched the founding of Konoha and I've helped with establishing it. A few months ago, Hashirama and Mito got married and on their wedding day Mito was killed by black Zetsu. Since then I've focused on getting the Edo Tensei down by killing a lot of animals. Uzuni Yasu was Mito's old sensei, and he was also the only other witness to Mito's death. He was very old, and because of his old age and illness he knew his time was coming very quickly. He knew I needed a sacrifice for the Edo Tensei, so he volunteered." Naruto summarised while Sasuke watched her closely.

"I see… And Madara?" Sasuke asked, leaning forwards a bit and folding his hands. His eyes flew momentary to the dark shape where the Uchiha leader currently lay asleep before coming back to meet Naruto's gaze.

"What about him?" Asked Naruto a little confused. There was a lot to talk about concerning Madara, but what specifically he was after was uncertain.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Sasuke clarified his question with an exasperated look, as if that should have been obvious.

"I did nothing to Madara." Said Naruto hurriedly, feeling her cheeks warm up and thanking her own luck that it was too dark for Sasuke to catch it.

"You clearly did something," he replied, a little exasperated, "Uchiha Madara was acting as a decoy for the sake of Konoha when we arrived at that battle. That's pretty out of character for a man who originally tried to destroy it."

"I've been his friend. I saved his younger brother once when he almost died with my yang powers. Izuna was struck down by Kurou and I had to make sure Madara didn't go all vengeful like last time. Or like you." Naruto calmly explained. Her pointing finger had unconsciously started tapping against the hard rock as they talked, her shoulders stiffened, and her other hand twisted some strands of her hair around her fingers.

Sasuke's eyebrow rose slowly and he nodded, so Naruto continued. "Madara is actually a good guy. He has a better sense of humour then you do, and he really just wants the best for those he cares about. And now he cares about Konoha, which makes him willing to fight for our village. But still, even I was quite surprised he was willing to go that far..." She said thoughtfully and looked towards Madara.

"Hn." Replied Sasuke with a shrug. He had already lost interest in the topic and changed it towards more acute matters. "I heard the rebels we're going after might have taken an Uchiha. Uchiha Katsu."

He stated that more then he asked, but Naruto still felt the need to confirm his words. "Yeah, Madara said he disappeared during their battle. You were there when he told Hashirama, why are you interested in that?"

"Hn. Uchiha Katsu is the name of my great grandfather on my father's side." Said Sasuke leaning even further forwards while tilting his head slightly. Naruto suddenly felt her palms start to sweat.

"W-what?"

"Uchiha Katsu was the head of the Uchiha clan after Madara deserted Konoha. He was also my dad's grandfather and my great grandfather."

Naruto didn't know what to say to that. It had never crossed her mind that Katsu could be an ancestor of Sasuke. Katsu also had a habit of using the sound 'hn' as an answer to most questions. She had of course wondered, but the blonde had no way to find out except to wait, and there it was.

"Is that why you've been so compliant with this since we left Hashirama and the rest?" Muttered Naruto silently, she had gone very tense, and her head was racing with different possibilities. Most resolving around different ways Katsu could still, somehow, be alive.

"Hn."

Naruto bit her lip and looked into the trees with furrowed brows.

"I don't care about you or me getting born in the future. I've already experienced it, and I can't seem to care too much about it. But I do care about Itachi." Explained Sasuke, his eyes had narrowed while they squinted towards the blonde.

She nodded and closed her eyes. Catching the threat in his words for what it was.

They both kept to themselves for a while after that. Both thinking about what was happening but not sharing it with one another. After an hour Naruto spoke up again.

"Sasuke, do you ever wonder… what you would have dreamed?"

Sasuke looked expressionlessly back and changed his position so he was sitting cross legged towards her. "If the Infinite Tsukuyomi had hit us." Clarified Naruto, though she suspected her childhood friend already knew what she was getting at.

"No, I've never wondered about that."

Naruto moped at that answer, and gave him a glare to make him continue talking.

"I don't have dreams, I make my dreams reality." He added and leaned back so he was propped up against the palm of his hands.

"I know what I'd dream. I'd dream we were all back in Konoha. Like when we were kids. Both of us having our families and being at peace with the other nations. I'd dream we had never been ninjas. Never had the need to fight, and that death was something that only occurred naturally." Started Naruto with a faraway expression. Sasuke snorted and looked away, clearly thinking she was being a moron or an idealist.

"You're such an idiot, Naruto." Muttered Sasuke. "You'll never see them again. You will never have peace, and if that's what you wanted you should have let Madara win the war. It's the only way you'd ever see that."

Naruto's teeth gritted at Sasuke's words while her finger abruptly stopped its tapping. Clearly he was still as much of a bastard as he'd been before he died. Sympathy was always one of his weaknesses.

"You haven't changed at all have you? Fifteen years of this and you're still rambling about unity and understanding one another. Don't you see that the only thing that can create such a thing is force? Like the Fourth War?"

Naruto was about to furiously protest, but Sasuke continued without pause.

"The only reason the Five Great Nations united was to take down a common threat. There was no unity before their lives was at the edge of the enemies' blade. That's the closest thing the world have ever seen to peace, and they were all paying for it with their own blood. It says something doesn't it Naruto?" he asked wryly, "Peace comes at the cost of the enemy's life. When one has to be sacrificed to keep the other. Like with my clan, and who knows how many others. If you had won the war, and everyone want back home, how long do you think it would have taken for a new conflict to emerge? Another war? Hm? Five years? Ten? Maybe even twenty, but it would come. The only thing that can maintain peace is force. A common threat."

Naruto listened attentively, her hands fisted while she tried to comprehend what Sasuke was truly trying to say.

"In a way. This is perfect, I would have needed immortality to reach my goal, and here I am aren't I? Edo Tensei with unlimited chakra. You are such an idiot, Naruto." Sasuke sneered at the end. His dark eyes taunting her, while Naruto finally understood what he was saying.

"That… Is what you meant, wasn't it? When you said you would become Hokage. You wanted to become the common enemy." She said looking down, her eyes closing painfully as she felt the rush of emotions flowing through her.

"Hn."

"And now? What do you want now, Sasuke? Is that still your goal?" Naruto asked bitingly, still not looking at him. "You're going to be all alone, hated by everyone, threatening people into submitting to your "peace" while you mimic your older brother once again?" She snapped. All she wanted was to shout and shake him violently. Make him understand that there was no way that would ever happen.

Sasuke didn't reply, even though he could tell how furious Naruto was right now.

"You think I'd let you do that, Sasuke?" Whispered Naruto so silently even he had problems hearing her.

"Eventually. There is nothing you would be able to do about it. You will die, I won't."

"You are mistaken, Sasuke." She retorted, her eyes flashing red in her fury. Kurama growled furiously in the back of her mind, almost as pissed off as Naruto herself was.

"You say I haven't changed. You say I'm still the same idealist as you expect me to be. Well here's news for you, Sasuke, I have changed. I can do whatever the hell I want with you. I can force you to babysit every single brat in Konoha for the rest of eternity, and you won't have a say in it. I told you I wouldn't control you in regard to me. That I wouldn't hinder you if you decided to attack me after we handled black Zetsu. But the rest? Don't think for a second that if you decide to stay here until the end of time, that your will would be free. Even if I, the Edo Tensei caster, is to die my previous commands will not be released from you. Quite the opposite actually, if I die there would be no way for you to ever be free unless you yourself chose to pass on. You think because I once would have been unable to force you like that, that I'd still be the same?" Naruto took a deep breath before meeting Sasuke's furious eyes.

Good, maybe he finally felt a drop of the same frustration Naruto was feeling.

"To maintain peace, I am more than willing to make sure you'll never be released from me. I've already made the command Sasuke, I made it the moment I summoned you. The only reason you haven't noticed it, is because you haven't tried to oppose it. You are not allowed to come in the way of my will. To achieve peace, sacrifice is needed. Don't think just because master Yasu is the one dead you're not the one being sacrificed here." Naruto growled the last sentence out, her fury directed at Sasuke who had gone expressionless. "And you will never be allowed to become the darkens of this world, that's the command."

His eyes were a bit wider, but other than that he seemed frozen. Neither blinked while the silence of the night crept up on them. Something had broken between them. Something inside Naruto finally realized she would never go back to that person she'd once been. The one who would never have used Sasuke as a puppet, and never given up on him.

But she had.

She had given up on him many years ago now. She would never be able to save this Sasuke. The only possibility was if he was reborn, and then that Sasuke could have the life he once deserved.

Sasuke probably realized that the bond Naruto had always talked about, describing it as unbreakable, was now tearing. Was he satisfied? For finally getting what he'd wanted back in the Valley of the End?

"You're right." Sasuke said eventually.

Naruto only gave a pointed glare back. "I know, but about what exactly?"

Sasuke gave her a condescending smirk and looked away. "You have changed."

* * *

Madara was keeping close to Naruto while they crouched behind some large boulders surrounded by trees.

They had finally found their target.

Kurou was standing a few metres in front of them scouting the enemy camp together with Sasuke, while Naruto had just returned after doing her own reconnaissance using Sage Mode.

While they had been pursuing their enemies, they'd ended up taking a wide half circle following their target. Technically they were still along the borders of the Land of Fire, but slightly more north then east of where they had been previously.

The rebels probably wanted them to think they had fled out of the country, but instead they'd only camped just as close, just more hidden.

It made Madara feel a bit offended, and he hoped they hadn't been here for too long. It would be embarrassing if they'd overlooked a camp of this scale just a few metres from the borders of the country they protected.

Even though the Uchiha had a long and restful night, the same couldn't be said for the rest.

Kurou had been his usual self, but Naruto and Sasuke had been very cranky. The stranger might be quiet by nature, but everyone could pick up on his constant brooding while they'd been jumping from tree branch to tree branch.

The only female member was giving everyone the silent treatment. Especially Sasuke, and because of that she was keeping closer to Madara. Not that he was complaining, but it made him curious as to how it had happened.

"It's a medium sized camp and we will be seriously outnumbered. I think sending a message to Hashirama-dono would be the wisest. We should ask for some backup." Said Kurou as he and 'odd-eyes' returned to their hiding place together with Madara and Naruto.

"How many?" Asked Madara seriously as Kurou sat down next to him.

"A hundred?" Guessed Kurou with a shrug.

"Anyone we know?" Asked Naruto peeking up over the edge of the boulder. "I didn't recognise anyone's chakra though."

"Hm… Hard to tell, they're so far away. Have you been able to locate Katsu?" Kurou asked as he looked over his shoulder in the direction their enemies were currently regrouping. Naruto was still in Sage Mode and nodded.

"Yeah, he's in the middle of the camp in that large circus tent. He seems fine, but he isn't moving. I'm guessing he's tied up." Explained Naruto seriously.

"Circus tent?" Asked Kurou confused, he had probably never heard the term before. No wonder, it wasn't like there was any travelling circuses in these days of clan wars.

"Eh, the big grey one that stands out from the rest. It's larger than a house, you must have noticed it."

Sasuke straightened up and walked towards the opening between the boulders they'd used to spy on the rebels. "One of us should get closer and look around. I'll do it." He said and was already about to leave when Madara hissed for him to come back.

"You stay here. Out of all of us you're the shadiest. How the hell do we know you won't go down there and raise the alarm?" He bit out while Sasuke slowly turned around again.

It was then Madara felt the air in his lungs leave him.

Staring back at him was one lilac eye with a circle pattern and a bright red Sharingan.

"How?" He asked quietly, staring back at Sasuke in indignation. He was so stupefied by the Sharingan he had to overlook the other eye, which was clearly not normal.

"None of your business. I'll go down. It's not like I'll die." Sasuke sneered the last word and gave an angry glare towards Naruto before he hurriedly left amongst the boulders.

"He has the Sharingan?" Madara asked, turning to the blonde who was looking upset. The blonde sighed heavily and nodded wordlessly at his question.

Walking up to her with his hands on his hips he used his best Uchiha glare while confronting her. "Yeah, we have a lot to talk about when we get back to Konoha, Naruto." Muttered Madara with a bitter tone.

"Sasuke having the Sharingan isn't any of my business, Madara. Why should I have told you?" Snapped Naruto in a low and urgent whisper while taking a step forwards.

Kurou looked curiously back at them before resuming his post as lookout.

"I've asked you about Sasuke before. Remember? That day. And you said he had died and it was just another war story. I didn't remember at first, but that's clearly the guy you talked about. Why on earth didn't you tell me he had stolen a Sharingan from an Uchiha? That is obviously my business."

"Stole? Stole? Sasuke didn't steal his Sharingan. He activated them, I would know, I was there after all. His name is Uchiha Sasuke, dattebayo." Answered the now furious blonde pointing accusingly at Madara with fire burning in her eyes.

"Uchiha? There's no way. We know every Uchiha there is, Naruto. My clan have always made sure no one else gets a hold of the Sharingan. It's ridiculous that there's an uncounted Uchiha we didn't know about. There's just no way." Answered Madara just as angry, not backing down even though they had more important matters to tend to.

"I'm not lying, Sasuke is an Uchiha. He has the Mangekyō too."

Their noses were almost touching when a cough made them both look up to see Kurou observing them with a small smirk and Sasuke standing next to him.

"I came back to say we need to move. They are sending out people in this direction, so we should run if we do not want to be discovered." Explained Sasuke after a moment of silence between the four of them. "Naruto and I can probably get rid of them, but if Katsu is down there they might use him as a hostage."

Naruto backed away from Madara and nodded to Sasuke while Kurou unsheathed his katana.

Walking away from the rest Madara ordered them to follow. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

The sky was slowly growing darker where Hashirama sat together with Shin and Izumi eating their second meal of the day.

Izumi had attempted to get some information out of Hashirama a few times that day, but had given up after the Hokage had said straight out that he didn't want to discuss the matter of Sasuke.

"Oy, Izumi-san, this tastes… What did you put in this?" Asked Shin looking down at his meal which was supposed to be cabbage soup.

The Nara had never been one to beat around the bush, but the Hokage had no idea how Shin could not be a little afraid of the Uchiha woman.

Her pin straight hair was today unkempt and tied up in a messy bun. The bags under her eyes and her permanent frown often made him think of Madara, but he had never pointed out that resemblance. Both in fear of his childhood friend and the comeback Izumi was likely to hack him with.

Hashirama had refrained from saying anything about their food himself, but he too had noticed the odd contrasting tastes as well. All he had done was grimace slightly, before continuing eating.

Beggars can't be choosers after all, and Hashirama hadn't brought anything more than a weapon pouch when he'd left Konoha.

Izumi had stiffened at Shin's words and the glare she sent the Nara was enough to freeze the whole area. "It's Ketchup." She told him monotonously.

Shin looked confused and stared down at his soup before looking back at Izumi. "Ketchup? Why?"

Izumi huffed and took a mouthful of cabbage soup topped with ketchup. "Is there a problem with ketchup? I happen to like ketchup." She murmured and looking more than content with her dish.

"It's just different, Izumi-san." Hashirama said, cutting in before Shin could say something offensive.

"It's a good kind of different. There should be ketchup in more things." Explained Izumi while stirring her soup with her wooden spoon.

"…"

Shin seemed to take her for a lost cause, since he turned towards the Hokage instead and changed the subject. "Shouldn't you be going back soon, Hokage-sama? Izumi-san and I will keep watch here. She can send her hawk summons if something comes up."

The oldest man amongst them nodded, but declined. "Um, yeah, I'll just stay a bit longer. Naruto and Madara still might need some backup. I'll help keeping the border safe until we hear word from them." He answered quickly while automatically spooning up another mouthful of cabbage soup, and grimaced when the taste hit his tongue.

Shin smirked while Izumi seemed clueless. "If you say so."

As Hashirama forcibly swallowed his soup a sudden sound made all three of them jump. The bowl of soup Hashirama had in his lap spilled over, and in the back of his mind he couldn't find it in himself to mind all that much.

Twisting around they saw a small yellow frog with brown spots standing next to Shin's backpack clad in a pink vest. The frog croaked once before raising an arm and waved at them.

"Yo, news from Naruto-chan. Everyone listen up." The toad said in a surprisingly soothing and gentle voice compared to the croak it had first uttered. It then looked curiously around before turning back to its observers. "Huh, this doesn't look like Konoha."

Realising this was one of Naruto's toad summons Hashirama and the other two eagerly got to their feet and gathered around the toad.

* * *

Rain started pouring down a few hours later, soaking the ground and making it soggy and slippery.

Madara was lying on said ground in hiding together with Sasuke as the two men crawled closer to the enemy camp.

The tension between them was palpable, but at least better than it had been earlier. After having the chance to calm down while running away from the enemy, Madara had come to the conclusion that the discussion he wanted to have with both Sasuke and Naruto could wait.

Right now they had more than enough to handle as it was.

The two Uchiha had a clear task: get as close as possible to where Naruto could feel Katsu's still flowing chakra.

However, it was in the middle of the camp, so the best the two could do was creep up on unsuspecting ninjas, kill them silently and then move forwards. They knew they would be discovered before they found Katsu, but hopefully they would have come across someone important to take hostage.

Naruto and Kurou was in the forest while waiting for their signal whenever they were discovered. The blonde was the one least likely to get through the camp because she was horrible at stealth, and since there was no way in hell Madara would let Sasuke stay with the blonde, he had been forced to take the mysterious Uchiha with him.

Before they left Naruto had handed over a kunai to Sasuke. It wasn't actually a kunai, but one of her Kage Bunshin transformed into a kunai. In other words, all they had to do was throw the kunai hard enough into something, and the real Naruto would know what was happening as the clone dispelled.

The two men kept low while edging around the camp. It was very quiet, the only thing they heard was a few coughs and one stifled sob from inside the tents.

Their first obstacle came in a lone shinobi which was dealt with very efficiently. He had walked very close to them, and one quick movement later his throat was cut while a hand was pressing against his mouth. No one noticed, so after hiding the body in some of the bushes close by, they continued forwards.

Fifteen more anticlimactic minutes was spent sneaking forwards before they came up to the largest tent where Naruto said Katsu was being held.

It was round and high, and the diameter of the area it covered was probably the same as the Hokage building.

Outside was three guards, but lucky for the two infiltrators, it was dinnertime and the weather was bad. Which meant no one but the guards was out of their tents.

Since they relied on sign language to communicate, they both started coming with suggestions for what to do next. After a few minutes of signed argument between the two Uchiha, Sasuke took matters into his own hands.

They were crouching down in the bushes, and the younger man stood up enough for him to have a direct shot of the guards they were targeting, and to Madara's surprise he suddenly disappeared.

One moment he was there, and the next he wasn't. Shooting up from his position Madara watched as Sasuke killed the last of the three guards by the entrance.

Clearly he was also efficient.

The next moment Madara found himself next to Sasuke. Looking at where he had been standing earlier, he watched as the body of the third guard fall bloody and lifeless to the ground.

In morbid fascination he wanted to ask what sort of jutsu that was. It was clearly some sort of time space ninjutsu, which most likely made you switch places with something else. Madara had never seen anything like it.

It was becoming very obvious that Sasuke was not to be taken lightly. He'd known that all along, there must have been a reason Naruto had asked him to help getting rid of black Zetsu. But guessing and seeing was two different things.

Sasuke moved into the tent quickly, and the older Uchiha followed swiftly while noting that Sasuke's eyes were activated. Curious. Was the space time ninjutsu linked with his eyes? They had been deactivated earlier.

At first it seemed pitch black in there, but slowly they got used to the dim light.

As far as Madara could see and feel, there was no one there, only dust and mud.

Carefully they moved close together over the open room. Both having their eyes activated now.

What caught Madara's attention the most was the large object at the other end of the tent. It was half the height of the tent and very wide. It was oval shaped and made of clay. His eyes wandered from the top of the object and downwards. Noticing even in the darkness the many inscriptions and paintings decorating it.

He was very curious as to why their enemy was dragging this thing around. It looked very heavy.

As his eyes glided to the bottom his breath quickened.

There was someone there. A person sitting by the foot of the object.

Turning towards Sasuke their eyes met. They nodded at the same time and moved forwards in unison.

It was hard to see who it was in the darkness, shadows obscured the person and they had to cross the whole room before Madara found his suspicions confirmed.

The first thing Madara noticed was that Katsu was not tied up.

Instead he was unconsciously leaning against the wall in an awkward sitting position. As far as the Uchiha leader could see, there was no wounds or even blood on him. It was like he had fallen asleep while sitting there on the muddy ground.

Madara took a step closer, and since nothing happened he took another step. Then another.

On the sixth step he started hurrying, crossing the distance as fast as he could while Sasuke stayed behind. But just as he reached out, ready to snatch Katsu off the ground and then bolt away, something made him stop in his tracks.

Katsu's head which had been tilted forwards, snapped up. His eyes wide open as if he'd been abruptly waken, but except for his open glare, the rest of him seemed… unresponsive.

His mouth was hanging slightly open, his eyebrows sagging and his arms limp by his side.

None of this was what made him stop though, it was the red eyes staring back at him. Two Mangekyō Sharingan with spiral pattern swirled in their sockets. While shock numbed Madara momentarily, he finally started to notice the black substance slowly creeping out from the hairline of Katsu's face.

It was like watching wine spill over a white sheet. How Katsu's normally pale skin was transformed into pitch black until it was impossible here in the dark to distinguish his features.

It was Katsu alright, no doubt about it.

The only problem was that black Zetsu was attached to him.

Madara backed up quickly as the black Zetsu infested Katsu got to his feet. "He, he, he. Now this is peculiar. I thought Naruto was the only one." Croaked black Zetsu while using the unconscious Katsu's mouth.

Sasuke had tensed like a wire behind him, his blade already out while Madara grabbed the hilt of his gunbai.

"If you think I'll fall for this hostage crap you're mistaken. I won't make the same mistake as was done with Mito-san." Threatened Madara angrily.

"I see this will be harder than I had hoped. But then again, I'll do a more thorough job if I get rid of you three first. If you're gone I doubt Hashirama will be a problem anymore." Continued Zetsu.

Madara had no idea what he was talking about, and from the look at Sasuke's face, he also seemed to struggle to understand what the black creature meant.

Why was Hashirama such a problem in the first place? Naruto he could understand, but he and Hashirama hadn't done much in catching this bastard. Not to mention why he seemed to be including Sasuke into the problem. Did black Zetsu know who Sasuke was?

"You have walked straight into my trap, you won't get out. And when the blonde abnormality feels your chakra fading she'll come running. Then I'll be rid of her too."

A trap? This was black Zetsu's trap? Was he collaborating with their enemies?

It sounded like they were already in deep trouble, but at least they could make sure Naruto didn't come in here before they'd weakened the creature enough for her to come finish it.

"What trap? There's you against the two of us. What chance do you think you have using an unconscious body as hostage?" Growled Madara as he came to stand next to Sasuke, his gunbai clutched tightly in his left hand and kama in the right.

"Oh, I'm using much more than an unconscious body, Madara. I'm using Katsu's bloodline and the help the Yuki clan has provided me with. After all, Katsu was never a hostage, he is the tool."

"Tool? This isn't any different than with Mito, and as far as I've heard you only used her to get away. And the Yuki clan? I don't see any of them here." Said Madara and pointed around them. "We killed the guards already, they wouldn't have been much help anyway."

Katsu moved backwards in the dark tent, his hand moving to the large object he'd been leaning against.

Sasuke and Madara glanced at each other quickly before concentrating on their prey.

He was moving in a deliberate way. As if he was about to unleash his trap. Even though Madara knew black Zetsu was not to be underestimated, he still couldn't muster up the will to be scared. All he felt was determination.

Katsu was still alive, and he'd do his best to get him out of this, but if forced he was ready to sacrifice him too. If what the creature had hinted at was true, then his clan and the village was at stake here.

Katsu's black hands were moving in a series of signs before stopping in the ram seal. "Release!" Back Zetsu roared. For a moment nothing happened, but still they didn't dare look away. Then a screeching sound rang through the room. Madara wouldn't be surprised if Naruto and Kurou could hear it all the way out in the woods.

And suddenly the dark room was filled with light as something exploded.

The force was so strong both Madara and Sasuke was thrown backwards through the tent wall, and out into the open.

Stumbling to their feet Madara watched as chakra leaked out of the massive object behind black Zetsu. It was a gigantic jar of some sort, and from it rose two gigantic figures.

One enormous insect and one equally large slimy creature. Both of them had ominous tails swishing behind them and eyes the pattern of the Sharingan as they rose out of the jar.

The air was filled with a shuddering pressure, and any idea Madara had earlier about controlling the situation flew out the window.

They were bijū. Two fucking bijū.

While Madara opened mouthed stared up at the creatures, he heard the sound of Sasuke cursing and a kunai being thrown hard into the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! And thank you especially Jayden-the-Jaded who has agreed to beta this story for me, and have done a very good job of correcting my mistakes.


	26. Gravity

**Warning:** This chapter contains violence, please do not continue reading if this upsets you. Maybe I should also warn you that this chapter is stupidly long....

* * *

**Chapter twenty** **f** **ive** **–** **Gravity**

__Gravity is the force that attracts two bodies toward each other, the force that causes apples to fall toward the ground and the planets to orbit the sun. The more massive an object is, the stronger its gravitational pull._ _

* * *

The two bijū made quick work of the tent.

The canvas was being forcibly stretched outwards from the sheer size of the two demons.

The sound of tearing sent shivers up Madara's back, and looking up he watched as the tent broke and collapsed. Dirt and dust flew violently up into the air, making it hard to see.

Madara could only stare at the two gigantic creatures standing proud and furious in front of them—their presence both magnificent and terrifying all at once.

The insect bijū had to be the Seven Tails, at least that's how many tails it had. The other had 'only' six.

What had Naruto called the seven tailed demon again? Chōm? Chōmie? Chōma? Madara wasn't sure, but he knew the Six Tails was named Saiken.

The camp was slowly being filled with screams of terror and shouts all around them.

Enemy ninja came running out of their tents, and the moment they spotted the two demons a lot of them turned tail and ran for it.

Unfortunately though, the majority of them were not cowards. Before Madara was certain what had happened they were already surrounded.

_Great._

With his heart in his throat Madara looked to Sasuke in worry. His companion looked confident, but there was still a small sneer on his face as he looked up at the creatures. He was not heeding their spectators any attention at all.

"What a failure…" Madara muttered exasperatedly. If they got out of this it would be one for the record books. On the other hand, he should feel flattered that black Zetsu wasn't underestimating them at least.

The demons roared into the sky with ringing sounds. The slimy substance making up the Six Tails was dripping onto the ground from its body, while the insect bijū took flight upwards.

The Uchiha leader took in the overflowing power of these chakra monsters. They were larger than any building in Konoha —maybe even at the height of the Hokage Mountain— and there was such killing intent coming from them that anyone within a mile's distance would be able to feel them.

It was such a hopeless situation, but despite that Madara finally felt his mind starting up again.

This was just another battle. This was just another enemy. If anything, this would be one of the more interesting battles he'd ever been in.

The old sense of excitement in the face of death and destruction was coming back to him. When his mind focused, his fingers flexed and his whole body itched to slice, tear and hack at his enemy.

A feeling that had once been so frequent, but he now hadn't felt since the old days fighting against Hashirama.

It had been too long, and Madara smiled.

His whole body was filled with adrenaline— it was flowing into every pore— and his breathing quickened to the beat of his speeding heart.

It was the assurance that while his life was in utter peril, he was still alive.

Still able to fight, and still able to win.

The feeling was overwhelming, and if he didn't have more important matters to attend to, Madara would have laughed. In fact, he let a small chuckle escape through his dry lips.

"Now I recognise you."

Madara glanced sideways to the source of the voice, catching Sasuke looking straight back at him.

"Heh, you seem just as ready for this as I am." Retorted Madara, noticing how Sasuke's shoulders were relaxed and his usually emotionless face filled with determination. "Let's get rid of these beasts."

Raising his kama and pointing it in the direction of the Six Tails, he noticed that Sasuke suddenly tensed. Following was a stream of curses.

The Uchiha leader gave a quick curious glance in his companion's direction.

"I can't kill them." Sasuke growled his fists clenched. He looked like he'd been frozen in place.

The look of incomprehension on Madara's face was enough for Sasuke to continue. "I can't go against Naruto's command. She has restricted me from killing the demons. In other words, I can only harm, not kill."

Well, that didn't make sense at all.

Was he concerned about Naruto's feelings? Or was it an actual physical restriction?

From the forest a golden flash flew out from the leaves. Her long blond hair swirling behind her as she fell through the air, Naruto was already in Bijū Mode, clearly well aware of what had just occurred after Sasuke had dispelled her Kage Bunshin in a kunai Henge.

Their human opponents all turned around as they felt her chakra storming towards them.

A few shouted in panic as they recognised the blonde, while the rest was giving orders. None of which were successful as Naruto blasted her way through the horde of enemies.

Right behind her came Kurou with a wild look in his eyes. In the next moment they were surrounded by six glowing Naruto clones. All of them staring daggers at the enemy rebels who were recreating a half circle around them. The rest of the circle was being blocked by two bijū and Black Zetsu.

The real Naruto glared at their main foe and just like Sasuke, ignored the human threats.

She stood next to Sasuke, her eyes hard with determination, already in Sage Mode and Bijū Mode combined.

This was the Naruto he admired, the Naruto who took no bullshit and did whatever the hell she wanted. In a fight her mind was set, not floundering and worrying about things he couldn't guess.

When they were fighting, Madara felt he could understand her—feel some of the pain brewing right under the surface of those storming blue eyes.

If he hadn't experienced her passionate touches, he would always think there was nothing close to the likes of the sight of Naruto fighting.

Who would ever have guessed a small blonde woman could ever be on the same level as himself and Hashirama? It had certainly been an eye opener for Madara.

"I can feel Hashirama, Shin and Izumi. They'll be here soon, but first we need to split up." Naruto said without taking her eyes off Black Zetsu. He was grinning widely at her arrival, using his hostage's hand to trail down the side of the jar like object the bijū had been trapped inside earlier.

"Kurou and Madara, you need to distract the rebels. Sasuke and I will deal with Saiken and Chōmei, before we take Black Zetsu."

Ah! Chōmei, that was its name.

"Naruto! They're too much for you. This isn't like with the Yonbi, these guys are being controlled. You can see the Sharingan in their eyes," Kurou exclaimed, pointing to the bijū who had yet to attack.

"I can see that." Stated Naruto and rolled her eyes.

"This would be easy if Naruto wasn't restricting me." Sasuke huffed while clutching his chokutō tightly.

"We're not killing them! They're not in control of themselves, just like Katsu." Naruto hissed looking pointedly at the creatures in front of them.

With a sigh Madara got ready to do as told, no matter how little he liked it, Naruto was right.

Someone needed to keep the coast clear for those fighting the bijū, and clearly Naruto thought he was the best option for that role. Sasuke on the other hand was to do the toughest fights together with her.

He wasn't annoyed, no, not at all…

Madara smiled widely to their enemies while Kurou fell in step with him. They noticed how their opponents were checking them out with weary eyes. Madara knew that they knew who he was. It made him a little less annoyed, and he eagerly got ready for his first attacker.

Letting his frustration out on them seemed like a very good idea right now.

* * *

Three ninja were running as hard as they possibly could. They had already heard the crashing sounds of a battle up ahead behind the mountain pass and were pretty sure that was where they were needed.

For every rushed step they were closer to where there was obviously a very violent battle taking place.

About ten minutes ago, when they were closing in on the mountain pass, they had gotten a close look at the first explosion. It had been very easy, since the top of the mountain they were headed for had been blown off.

The only reason they were still alive was because Izumi had spotted the attack and had thrown herself over her two comrades, forcing them down to the ground, before the ground shaking explosion went off.

They had been littered in stone, boulders and gravel. But Hashirama had been fast and covered all three of them with his wood shelter technique before they could get crushed by the deadly landslip.

"Run faster, Shin-san!" Shouted Hashirama as a spray of smoke toppled over them on their way through fallen boulders and dust.

"We're almost there now." Exclaimed Shin breathlessly as they broke through the roughest terrain. The Nara really should work more on his stamina, out of the three of them he was both the slowest and the one most tired.

But those thought fled his mind, and in a daze he stopped in his tracks the moment the scene before them came into view.

A huge golden fox had its claws fastened to the stomach of a gigantic insect. A little away a white snail like creature was battling against a violet Susanoo.

It was enough to make them all halt.

Looking closer they noticed all the fallen bodies on the battle field too.

A large number of ninja looked bloody and dead, but a little ahead a ferocious battle was taking place. There were only humans in that fight as far as they could see, but they were still far enough away to be uncertain.

"Okay… I hope you still have some energy left." Hashirama said staring at the insect who could be no one less than the seven tailed demon. Chōmei had managed to shake loose from Kurama, and was now trying to fly out of reach.

The airborne demon tried to jump the nine tailed fox demon. The fox missed when it clawed at the Seven Tails in retaliation, and landed hard back on its two hind legs. As a result, it felt like an earthquake shook the earth from the sheer weight of the Kyūbi hitting theground.

"Who are we fighting exactly?" Shin asked, feeling sweat gathering on his brow; this time it wasn't from his laziness when it came to stamina training.

"The nine tailed fox is Naruto. Or, I mean she has the nine tailed fox sealed inside of her, so it's the two other demons we're up against," explained Hashirama hurriedly.

Izumi and Shin looked surprised at each other, both shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. The Hokage noticed this, and his eyes narrowed.

"If you're going to chicken out, please stay out of the way at least," said Hashirama bitingly to his two subordinates.

"No, we're with you, Hokage-sama," Izumi said, taking out her katana. "I'm just not sure how much of a difference I'll make in this battle." She added, sounding genuinely annoyed about that fact.

* * *

Madara was taken by surprised when two ninja appeared on either side of him. Quickly he jumped just as they both sliced down at him. It made one of them get a nasty cut when his comrade's blade went straight down at him instead of Madara.

The blood of the open wound splashed on his sandal clad feet as Madara kicked the other one hard in the chest, while he had been distracted by what he had done.

As the man fell backwards, Madara picked up the sword of the one already down, balancing it in his hand; he aimed quickly and threw it at the man trying to get back on his feet. It lodged deeply into the guy's skull. His eyes glazed over and he died instantaneously.

Using the same sword he finished the job on the one still barely breathing.

Man, it had been a long time since a battle had been this intense. The fight the previous day couldn't really compare.

Though he'd ended up in such an embarrassing situation, he had not once felt the rush the way he did right now. This was fast paced, with a variation of opponents; the other battle had been dragged out for so long they eventually got the better of him. Not today though, he didn't make the same mistakes twice.

The Uchiha leader had no plans what so ever of taking hostages or finding out what situation they were in, before killing them. So he cut, and they bled both blood and tears as he came for them.

It surprised him somewhat that Kurou had much of the same temper as himself when it came to fighting. They were quite the team as they took down enemy combatants one after the other.

The Uchiha and Uzumaki had a compatible fighting style, and their opponents had realized this pretty quickly.

It had taken some effort on their enemy's side, but Kurou had eventually been separated from Madara. He was fighting together with two Naruto clones though, so Madara wasn't too concerned.

The only reason he didn't want the red head to die was because of his citizenship. Uzu would go nuts if two of their main family members went down within a few months of staying in Konoha.

He ducked as an axe swung towards him, getting a few strands of his hair cut off in the process. With lightning fast reflexes he caught the handle as the weapon as it flew over his head, stopping it in its tracks and forcing it out of the wielder's hand.

"Nice axe. I'm gonna keep this." He stated, and used the same weapon to cut off the guy's arm.

The scream that followed was cut short when Madara kicked him in the face and efficiently snapped his neck. Turning away from the soon to be cooling corpse he focused on the next enemy.

Inwardly he sighed in resignation. The brat couldn't be older than eleven. It was a shame the boy wouldn't see his next birthday.

He had light brown hair and large green eyes staring in horror at Madara as if he was the Shinigami. As the kid looked up at him, he trembled so badly the boy couldn't even aim the kunai he was throwing. They went far off the mark, and the one he did manage to aim correctly was easily deflected with Madara's newly acquired axe.

Still, he didn't run. Madara snorted at the child's stupidity as he walked closer and closer, but he couldn't fault his bravery.

Maybe he'd just cripple him; no one needed a handicapped ninja after all. He'd probably be better at sharpening kunai than throwing them anyway. You didn't need feet for that sort of thing.

In the end the boy died, but not from the damage Madara inflicted on him, but from a falling bijū later in the battle which crushed his already broken body.

* * *

Kurou heard shouting, and while he fought against his enemies he saw from the corner of his eye a new battle breaking out not too far away from them.

The Hokage and two Konoha ninja had entered the battlefield, and Kurou felt relief as Hashirama killed off four ninja with one Mokuton attack. A little up ahead of him he could see Madara efficiently waltz his enemies through the dance of death. Very efficiently too.

They were all trying to save their chakra in case Naruto couldn't deal with the bijū, so they relied on taijutsu as much as possible.

In that moment Madara jumped, avoiding the blade of an enemy ninja who missed, and hit his comrade instead.

Kurou didn't bother to watch the rest. One of the Naruto clones were suddenly thrown back and dispelled from a lightning jutsu it hadn't been able to avoid. It was more than enough to keep him focused on his battle.

* * *

It had taken their group about ten minutes to break through the large group of ninja and get up to where Kurou was battling one too many enemies at once.

He had a nasty gash across his cheek and was bleeding profusely from his left arm.

The Naruto clones had either gone by being dispelled, or were in pursuit of some fleeing ninja with long range attacks aiming at Madara's back. The remaining Uzumaki had therefore suddenly found himself overpowered.

"Hold on, Kurou-san!" Hashirama shouted, using Mokuton to make spears shoot up from the ground around the red head. One of his attackers was caught, but five others jumped away in time.

Kurou collapsed when Izumi was only a couple metres away.

From afar they could see Madara come towards them. He didn't have any pursuers, but the speed of which he was running made it obvious he was in a hurry to reach the rest of the group.

While Hashirama hurried over to Kurou, Izumi and Shin started taking care of the Uzumaki's attackers.

Shin trapped one in his shadow technique, while Izumi slit his throat. The young woman ducked as a shuriken was thrown at her, and engaged her next opponent just as Madara reached them.

"Is he alive?" asked the Uchiha leader.

"Yeah, it's just blood loss. The gash he has on his arms and cheek made him bled a lot which is the reason he fainted, he is already-" Madara didn't hear the rest as Saiken and Sasuke came hurtling amongst them.

The demon very agitated as it attacked Sasuke with spurts of a sticky white substance.

"Get away!" Shouted Sasuke as he protected himself just in time with what was very obviously the skeleton of a Susanoo.

So Naruto was right, he was an Uchiha…

Madara slipped between the spears sticking up from the ground to meet the disoriented eyes of Kurou looking up at him. "You go and help Izumi and Shin. I'll get Kurou out of here. Your power can come in better use here. They're good with water and fire," Madara said as he bent down next to Kurou.

Hashirama nodded while the Uchiha leader placed Kurou's arm over his shoulder and jumped out of the cluster of spikes.

He wasn't sure where to place Kurou, leaving him on the edges of the battlefield wasn't much better than leaving the Uzumaki amongst the spikes. "I'm fine, Madara-san. I was just unlucky, and I can still fight," Kurou said when they had gotten away from the battle.

"Are you sure?" Madara asked, letting Kurou lean on his own feet checking to see if he could at least stand on his own.

"Hashirama-dono fixed up the worst. I'm fine." Said Kurou and touched his bloodstained cheek. That gash was definitely going to leave a scar.

The ground started shaking again, and looking over his shoulder Madara saw Saiken spray Naruto and Kurama in puffy gas and syrupy liquid. It obscured their view, and neither of them could see what was happening to Naruto and Kurama.

After a few moments Madara started growing concerned by the lack of activity over there, but then a roar echoed through the battlefield. _"Fucking hell! You're going to pay for that, Saiken! When you get your brain back I'm going to kick your ass!"_ The fox shouted in fury. His booming voice so loud and sudden it took them slightly by surprise.

While the jinchūriki and her tenant were still inside that cloud, they were clearly blinded, and Hashirama was still occupied with his fight. However, with the exception of Naruto, they could all see the Bijū Bomb being formed in Chōmei's mouth.

It was directed directly at where Hashirama and the rest were fighting. Madara let go of Kurou completely and ran forwards.

The bomb was released only a second later, and it flew straight for Hashirama, who was trying desperately to form his Wooden Golem. As the bijū attack propelled forwards it destroyed the ground in its wake. The Hokage who had to get rid of his enemy first before dealing with the Bijū Bomb knew they were in trouble.

He was being too slow, and the bomb was on them so fast Madara couldn't even blink before it hit them.

Or nearly hit them.

An elastic arm of yellow flames flashed out from the cloud of smoke. It was so fast that it had time to stretch all the way from the battle between the two bijū over to Hashirama's battleground. The arm hit the attack in the side, effectively redirecting the enormous black ball, which would have surely flattened everyone within range, in a different direction.

Hashirama's company was left untouched but shaky in the knees as the orb of energy about forty times their size barely missed them.

Madara didn't get any peace of mind though, because while his childhood friend was safe, it was now heading straight for Kurou instead.

It was on pure instinct that he had already started running back where he'd come from, forcing his feet to a speed he didn't know he possessed.

His Susanoo activated without Madara having truly registered it. Instead of aiming at the Bijū Bomb, the chakra giant threw itself forwards and got Kurou out of the way just in time.

He panicked right after though, because the attack hit his Susanoo's upper body. The Uchiha leader was still attached to the feet of the giant, and had no time to deactivate the thing before the Bijū Bomb dragged the Susanoo and him with it.

It happened so fast Madara was already flying away together with the still unreleased Bijū Bomb before he got an idea of just how screwed he was.

_"This is bad!"_ Was all he had time to think, and already he had been brought over a hundred metres away, before the bomb went off with a bone crushing force.

"Madara!"

* * *

Kurou stood in shock as the Uchiha clan head, who had just saved his life, was swallowed in the massive explosion. The red head was thrown back from the pressure, and landed hard on his back. It was enough to knock his breath out for several seconds.

Further away Naruto broke free from the cloud of smoke and stormed across the now unrecognisable landscape.

Sasuke was now dealing with the bijū alone, but Hashirama was fast to come over and help out while the blonde ran in the opposite direction. He had used his Wooden Golem to protect himself and his comrades, but some of their enemies had been far from lucky.

The last of their enemies were staring in shock at the huge crater the Bijū Bomb had left behind. Both awestruck and terrified at how the attack had felt up close. One of their own had been caught up in the blast, and there was no trace of him now.

Izumi took advantage of this. Before two of the ones closest to her knew she had moved at all, they were dead.

"This was never in the job description. We should all get a pay raise when this is over." The Uchiha woman said after getting rid of the last of the rebels.

"Yeah," was all Shin could reply, looking towards the smoking crater where Naruto had just disappeared into.

"Thank God Hokage-sama protected us." Said Izumi uncertainly, looking up at Shin and biting her lip.

In the meanwhile Kurou was making his way towards the crater, the combination of blood loss and smoke inhalation making his brain fuzzy all over again.

He was feeling incredibly guilty, and still couldn't comprehend that Uchiha Madara had just risked his life for him.

Falling to his knees at the crater's edge he called out to them. "Naruto! Madara-san!" He shouted in a cracked and hoarse voice—sounding curiously a lot like Black Zetsu.

There was no answer at first, but through the dust he could see a light growing stronger. About half a minute later Naruto came running up the rough crater side with Madara supported at her side.

She ran past the Uzumaki and out of the smoke filled area, making Kurou nervous. With shaky legs he got up again, following Naruto's blazing chakra signature to find out if Madara's rash bravery had made him pay the ultimate price.

She laid Madara down carefully while checking his condition. The feared Uchiha soldier was covered in blood and scrapes, but was miraculously still in one piece. He must have kept the blue Susanoo activated when the explosion went off, protecting him from being blown into dust.

Naruto checked his pulse. She then continued by starting CPR, her hands quickly moving to his chest, and starting compressions.

Kurou was running now, his own injuries forgotten even though he was still coughing like a chimney. He must have inhaled a lot of smoke, because he felt absolutely terrible.

Naruto was breathing air into his lungs while Madara remained unconscious when Kurou reached them.

During the third round Madara finally started coughing, soot and dirt being expelled from his mouth.

He turned over to his side, knocking away Naruto who was half lying over him while working. He vomited violently while clutching his throat with bloodied hands.

"Fine... I'm fine." Madara croaked and moved his hand as if to wave her away. Naruto touched his shoulder. As he looked up at her, he was engulfed in reddish chakra as the blonde forced it into him.

"Take it easy." She said sternly and looked over at the battle still being fought at the other end of the battlefield. "Both of you," she added and turned to Kurou with a pointed look.

Reaching out, she touched Kurou too. The chakra flowing through him revived him like nothing else ever had.

They both watched as Naruto took off, running back to join the battle.

* * *

"Why are you doing this? I thought your style was to act from the shadows?" Naruto demanded stonily. It was just a clone, and it was standing a good distance away from Black Zetsu. She was trying to figure out what he was plotting. Right now she needed answers, and the slimy creature was going to answer her whether he wanted to or not.

The creature smiled wickedly with Katsu's mouth. "Oh, that's easy human. You need to be removed. I don't appreciate your influence. The fact that you knew about my existence is also a factor." He croaked, the red swirling eyes intent on the blonde.

"What would my death accomplish? And why do you have Saiken and Chōmei doing the work? How did you even get them?!" She continued asking. Wanting very badly to know how on earth he had managed to keep them secret from her. She hadn't felt them at all until their sudden appearance. Maybe they'd been summoned?

"Well, the bijū were easy enough. I had already taken care of the heavy lifting years ago, now I'm just recording the show. You might remember the Three Tails rampaging through the villages close to the boarders of the Land of Water? Well, I made sure that happened. And of course the Yuki clan suspected Uzushiogakure for that. Who else had the skills to pull it off? I got them to trust me by giving inside information about Uzu. It was easy getting in. Those barriers the Uzumaki put up are only designed for humans with chakra. So I got the scroll on how to seal a bijū from there. You might remember it, you and Uzumaki Mito were sent to retrieve it after all." Croaked the creature, and Naruto felt her hands start sweating.

She remembered clearly how she'd infiltrating the rebels' base while Mito distracted the rest. She recalled how they'd found Sarutobi Ren, but not the scroll. The mission had been a failure back then, but now she knew it was on a much larger scale than Naruto had imagined.

"I gave it to them and pointed them in the right direction of the Six and Seven Tails. The rest you see here." Explained Black Zetsu and raised his arms while gesturing to the battle all around them.

Chōmei flew past the clone, followed closely by an enraged Kurama who had just been blinded long enough by the Seven Tails' powder to get a horn cut into his side.

The earth rumbled as the two bijū fell to the ground.

"You're not the only one that needs to be killed. Madara and Hashirama need to go too. Then their souls will be reborn, and I can undo your work more easily. This reincarnation of Indra was perfect for the job until you started getting involved. That has to be undone." Black Zetsu told her, seemingly perfectly fine with sharing his plans.

Clearly the creature was very confident with the outcome of this battle. There's no other way he'd gloat like this if he wasn't. Naruto could recall how the creature had changed while he was attached to Kaguya in the other time line, and he was giving her a repeat show of that attitude right now.

"I see, so you're grumpy because I messed up your plan to bring back Kaguya. I've been gathering everyone together despite all the wars you've made sure broke out."

"Whole plan? No, no. You've just put it off a little longer then I planned, but I can be patient." Answered Black Zetsu. His attention flashed briefly to Saiken who was being restrained by Sasuke from rampaging all over Hashirama and his crew.

"Yes, I seriously hope you can be patient, because we'll be sealing your sorry ass for the rest of eternity. Maybe you should have thought to bring a book with you here today. You'll need it for the rest of time," Snapped the clone heatedly.

"Hah! As if you'd be able to do something like that. Even if by some miracle you did manage to seal me, there's no way I wouldn't find a way out. You're just a floundering fish playing into the palm of my hand. I mean, look around you. At your best you still have yet to get close to me." He eagerly replied with a cackling so menacing it sent shivers down her spine.

In that moment Kurama was thrown backwards right on the clone, making it dispel while the real Naruto cursed as she fell hard onto the ground.

Chōmei had unleashed a Bijū Bomb while Kurama did the same. They had been so close to one another that when the two prematurely released attacks were fired, they clashed which caused them both of them to fall back.

It was so difficult to attack the bijū without killing them. Out of all of them, Kurama was the only one with flashy and deadly attacks. It forced them to use demon taijutsu, which translated into clawing, biting and hard hits.

Chōmei on the other hand had blinding power attacks, horns that hurt quite a bit to get hit by, and chakra threads that sucked out your chakra.

Naruto let Kurama retreat into her while she got her breath back, realizing this was not the way to fight the other bijū. The Seven Tails had to be restrained, and for that she needed another sort of attack mode.

She had landed very close to Black Zetsu, and his last words were seriously making her furious.

"You think this is our best?" Naruto muttered as she brushed off some dust from her shoulder and straightened her top. "You clearly have no idea who we are Black Zetsu. I've been trying to go easy on Chōmei and Saiken because I'm afraid they'll get killed if I don't." Naruto told him angrily.

Sasuke back flipped to avoid Saiken's attack and kept going until he was close to where Naruto stood.

He looked curiously back at Naruto who was still slowly getting to her feet.

About three hundred metres behind them, Madara and Kurou were making their way back to the main battle. They watched closely as the flames around Naruto started changing and an odd pressure was being issued from Sasuke.

Kurou was still coughing, but was following their movement like a hunter after their prey.

Naruto grasped the clip of her armour which was situated at her shoulders and opened up the knot which kept the Konoha uniform in place.

It fell with a clank to the ground as she freed herself from its restraint.

Next she started taking off the black gloves Hashirama had given her for her twenty-first birthday, which was only a couple of months ago. They were given to her so Naruto would stop using up all her bandage every time she wrapped her hands. She had worn them ever since.

One glove dropped next to the armour, then the next.

Kurou was wondering how the hell Naruto could be so carefree while in the presence of all this destruction. But her movements were drawing everyone's eyes.

Even the few still standing rebels who was nursing their own wounds on the sidelines.

Sasuke was somehow reading something in her movements, since he let his shoulders relax and he straightened up.

Some sort of message had passed between them, and the small smirk growing on Sasuke's face said it was either something very outrageous or very destructive.

Her gaze was fixed on Black Zetsu as her fisted hand hit the palm of the other. "Yosh, Sasuke! Let's finish this, dattebyo!"

"Hn." He replied.

Kurou gasped as he noticed how things were altering. The destroyed and beaten ground they were standing on was suddenly being regenerated. The damaged earth which had turned black and grey from the previous attacks started healing, going rich brown and gaining moisture. The trees at the edge of the battlefield started leaning towards them, their leaves growing greener. Even the air was refreshing, becoming warm and comfortable as the dust was blown away. But the environment wasn't the only thing changing.

Madara had seen much of this before: how the jinchūriki's chakra had such a strong life force it could make flowers bloom in an instant, but what he hadn't seen was how Naruto was changing.

Her hair, which had always been a bit too bright, was turning brighter. Despite already being a glowing lantern of chakra, the light intensified and changed, becoming cooler and closer to white than yellow. Despite the change in warm tones, Madara was convinced he was looking at the sun, and not his Naruto.

Her skin became more tan, and her Bijū Mode rapidly changed pattern.

Kurou and Madara were behind them, so they had a good view of how the black pattern on Naruto morphed and changed appearance. Tomoe appeared on her back as black globes grew into existence behind her.

Kurou gasped as a dark staff was protruded from her hand. It was as if she had been hiding it up her sleeve, but they had both watched as the thing came straight out from her right wrist.

Sasuke was another matter. While Naruto grew brighter, he grew equally as dark. A pressure that couldn't be seen but instead felt was issuing from his very being.

It was very similar to what the bijū could do, but at the same time it was different. The air was filled with crackling energy and pressure, which made no one in doubt of Sasuke's capability. The reason Naruto had gone to this man for help was becoming painfully obvious.

The only change Madara could pin point was his skin that looked a tone lighter.

And then he activated his violet Susanoo. The bright and warm flame that was Naruto twisted and violently merged with the cold chakra of Sasuke. It was like a struggle between their chakra, as Sasuke's Susanoo slowly engulfed Naruto, seemingly winning.

"Let's finish this," Naruto said to Sasuke who didn't bother replying. "Chōmei first. He's faster than Saiken."

Kurama returned from within Naruto, this time larger than before. The blonde held out her fist to Sasuke, and in a sign of camaraderie he let his own fisted hand bump against hers.

A strangled sound erupted from Madara as the Nine Tailed Fox was quickly being clad in a Susanoo armour.

"Shit..." breathed Shin. It was followed by a deep sigh as they watched.

"That was what I was going to say," answered Izumi, looking curiously up at the battle ready giants.

A tail swished down towards the spectators, and none of them had time to run or avoid the humongous tail coming down on them. They waited for the pain, but it never came.

When Hashirama opened his eyes the first thing he was confronted with was light. There was so much of it that it was hard to see anything else. It took him about five seconds to realize they were inside the Kyūbi's chakra. There was just enough time to come to that conclusion before the fox jumped high into the air.

The movement rocked through the fox and made everyone tense. Hashirama was quite shocked about how high the Nine Tails could leap from the ground; they were higher up than the Kyūbi was tall.

He connected with Chōmei and bit into its left wing. Using its own weight, Kurama forced the insect formed creature down.

From their left Saiken was coming at full speed towards them, the beast surprisingly fast for a snail.

But using the Seven Tails like a bat, Kurama hit home run on the snail. The mountains around them shook and rocks started falling in the far distance. Naruto and Kurama didn't let them rest though. Sasuke wordlessly created an enormous blade in Kuruma's left hand.

The gigantic fox with all its inhabitants rose up into the air once again when the bijū jumped and swung the Susanoo sword hard into Chōmei's tails, cutting off two in one go. The screech from the seven tailed beast was horrible. Naruto shivered at the sound.

"If we want to win this, we have to go harder on them, Naruto." Sasuke sternly stated, his activated eyes staring hard at her. She seemed conflicted by this statement, but nodded reluctantly.

Next they headed for Saiken and successfully trapped him with Kurama's sharp claws. They were instantly sprayed with a violent gas attack, and Kurama was forced backwards.

The gas was clearly poisonous, because all of them felt the heaviness the moment the gas hit the air.

_"Naruto, I think I have to seriously harm, Saiken. He is too good at keeping his distance. We can't take him down in close combat."_ Kurama stated reluctantly.

Naruto closed her eyes and furrowed her brow while she thought fast. She didn't find a better solution though, and answered in a sad tone. "Fine."

Sasuke didn't need any more confirmation, and jumped out of the fox's chakra.

As he left he took the Susanoo protection with him and ran towards Saiken. He was instantly sprayed, but still he kept running on. It was almost like Sasuke was immune to the poison.

His Susanoo sliced its blade towards Saiken, but with two of his tails the Six Tails managed to stop Sasuke from getting a hit in.

The demon then realized what was truly going on when he spotted the Bijū Bomb Naruto fired at him. Sasuke had been the distraction while Naruto prepared.

The slimy demon was thrown to the ground, and just like Madara had been before, was dragged backwards until it was far away.

The next moment an ear splitting explosion rocked the ground.

Hashirama was still in awe at the efficiency of Naruto and Sasuke's team work. They had barely shared a single word while they fought, and yet they seemed to know exactly what the other was going to do next.

The mysterious Uchiha came up to Naruto while she let Kurama merge into her again. The dispelling of her chakra mode was quite abrupt. The five passengers riding inside the Kyūbi chakra suddenly found themselves in a free fall. As they landed hard many metresdown, Sasuke was already running towards Black Zetsu with Naruto hot on his heels.

"Naruto, press sage chakra into Katsu. It might force Black Zetsu to lose hold of Katsu. Then Black Zetsu will be free to seal." Sasuke explained as he twirled around a fiery attack from the black creature. Black Zetsu was finally starting to look nervous.

Sasuke substituted with a boulder lying not too far ahead, and then another even closer to their target. He was so fast it was hard to keep track of his location.

Naruto was very fast, but slower than Sasuke. When the Uchiha finally reached Black Zetsu, the little demon was using Katsu's Sharingan to track their movements. It was also why he was able to avoid Sasuke's aggressive chokutō slash.

Sasuke engaged him in close combat while Naruto caught up and stopped a few metres away from the battling figures. It didn't take too long before the Uchiha retreated from a fireball technique from Black Zetsu's mouth.

He jumped back and landed smoothly next to Naruto. "Could you?" She asked quickly, and Sasuke nodded before focusing on Black Zetsu again.

The wind had blown his hair back, and the Rinnegan was shown clearly for Black Zetsu. He took a step back when he recognised the pattern, shock clear in his tense posture.

Naruto turned sideways towards Sasuke, raising her fist as if to hit him.

Her comrade wasn't paying attention to her. Just as her fist was about to smack hard into Sasuke's shoulder he disappeared. In his place stood Black Zetsu just as Naruto made bone cracking contact.

In intense concentration she pumped nature chakra into the creature.

Black Zetsu hissed and jumped away, but as he landed he stumbled and they could easily see how the ink blotch was leaking away from Katsu.

"Hn, that worked on White Zetsu too. It seems they have some common weakness at least." Said Sasuke, curiously watching as Black Zetsu fought furiously to keep control of his hostage without success.

He was still half submerged, but was losing the fight. With a furious look at Naruto and Sasuke he clapped Katsu's hands together.

"Fine, but I'll have one more task for them to do before I leave. Chōmei! Saiken!" Black Zetsu shouted the last word as he slowly ebbed from Katsu.

The blonde looked horrified as Katsu was now partly freed. The evil creature had taken the eyeballs with him. Left behind were the empty and bleeding sockets where Katsu's eyes used to be. That devil must have ripped out Katsu's original eyes and replaced them with Indra's.

The small hold he still had on Katsu was seemingly enough, because Saiken gave a loud roar, and started creating a Bijū Bomb aimed at them.

Sasuke looked quickly at Naruto before hurrying to redirect the attack.

Chōmei who had been lying in pain about a kilometer away stood abruptly. Spreading its wings it flew fast up into the air. Its mouth was open wide, creating a black Bijū Bomb. It made a sound so crushing it shook them to their very core.

"No!" Naruto cried as she took off after him.

She didn't have time to secure Katsu to a safe location, so the unconscious man fell limp into a heap on the ground, while Naruto flew after the seven tailed demon.

Instinctively she knew what Black Zetsu had commanded it to do.

The Bijū Bomb was being aimed towards Konoha. And while it was a day's march for everyone on foot, the attack Chōmei had released could reach Kohona instantly—especially from such a great height.

"What the hell? Since when could captain Naruto fly?" Asked Shin looking seriously shaken.

True enough; the five standing in the back could see Naruto flying at full speed after Chōmei. The odd black orbs behind her following as if they were attached.

"That has to make travelling so much easier. No wonder she has been to so many places." Said Izumi thoughtfully while Hashirama looked back at her in exasperation.

While the others followed Naruto's movements, the Uchiha leader had spotted another problem. "He's escaping!" Madara cried pointing towards Black Zetsu who was slowly sinking into the earth.

"Oh, no, he won't!" Shouted Hashirama, and together the two men ran towards the creature. The Hokage clapped his hands together, and trees shot up from the ground.

"It's a root prison, wherever he is, I'll be able to sense and restrain him. Madara!" Hashirama shouted, and the Uchiha shot past the Hokage and activated his Susanoo.

Cutting into the earth with his blue glowing blade, he cracked the ground apart.

A shout of fury was heard from underneath the earth.

Above them a rush of wind made everyone loose balance. Naruto was using pure chakra to restrain the Bijū Bomb she had reached just in the nick of time.

To their left Sasuke's Susanoo was forcing the Bijū Bomb from Saiken off course, and it flew just to behind them.

"GYAH!" Naruto screamed painfully, feeling soaring pain seep into her arms from holding onto the hot glowing orb.

Quickly the golden shape of Kurama suddenly re-emerged from within her for a third time. The gigantic fox was holding onto the attack with his claws and tails, and with a furious push, redirected the bomb northwards.

The two Bijū Bombs collided, and the air pressure was enough to knock everyone still on the ground off their feet.

Sasuke was sprinting towards them just as Black Zetsu shot up from the ground.

The Uchiha disappeared and came up right next to Black Zetsu, and with blinding speed he slashed directly down the head of the creature. However the blade went straight through as the oddity split himself in two.

Half of Black Zetsu flew forwards, taking advantage of Sasuke's opening after the failed attack at his life.

His hand flew forwards so fast even Sasuke had a hard time keeping up with the movement. If he hadn't jumped backwards he would have had Black Zetsu's hand straight through his chest.

The other part of Black Zetsu wrapped itself around Sasuke's feet, holding him in place. Black lightning erupted all over Sasuke's body just as the rest of the ink blotch tried again to pierce through his chest. It fried the restraining creature so much that he was forced to let go.

Hashirama was already right behind Black Zetsu, making roots shoot up his body, but like true ink, the creature melted around the wood attack, dripping back to the earth.

At the same time, Shin was dragging Katsu out of harm's way with the help of Izumi. They had picked a bad direction though, since they were in the wrong spot when the insect bijū fell from the air. The control Black Zetsu had on it having been removed. They both looked up in horror, and in unison they both stopped breathing. Izumi screamed shrilly as the wings were just about to hit them.

"Mokuton!" Cried Hashirama, and a wooden cage covered them just as the beast fell straight on them once, before rolling limply away.

Trees and rocks were smashed by the immense weight, but the wooden cocoon protecting Izumi, Katsu and Shin had held.

They looked a bit shaken, but otherwise okay when Hashirama released them.

Black Zetsu disappeared again underneath the ground, but with Hashirama's guidance Madara found the correct place to cut into the earth with his Susanoo. They needed to keep him in place until Naruto and Sasuke had time to return.

Kurou came running towards them, his eyes determined while he smeared the blood from his upper arm over his fingers. "I won't let you escape Zetsu!" He shouted and stopped while he was still about twenty metres away.

The red head looked more than past his limit, but despite that he was smiling broadly. His bloody hand hit the ground with a loud smack, a winning gleam in his eyes as he shouted. "Barrier surface!"

Naruto who was flying at full speed towards them and Sasuke who was teleporting to get back to Black Zetsu looked down in unison.

They all watched as fuinjutsu inscriptions flew out from underneath Kurou's hand and reached outwards. The ground over the whole area glowed once, and when the light faded there was a slight distortion of the ground. It was as if there was a thin film separating their feet from the earth beneath them.

"Try sneaking away now you fucking devil. You can't access the ground anymore. I've sealed away you escape route!" Gloated Kurou with a satisfied smirk, the effect was slightly ruined when he tripped while getting back on his feet.

What this indicated swiftly dawned on all of them at the same time. "You're the boss Kurou!" Naruto shouted as she leaned against the body of Chōmei. It had landed very close to Black Zetsu and she was quickly making sure he wasn't dead.

The demon was knocked out, but would heal with time. Hopefully.

Black Zetsu must also have realised just how screwed he was. He looked wide eyed around, meeting the eyes of Madara in front of him and Hashirama behind. "This… You'll regret this. Madara, I've told you what she is, you can't tru-"

"Shut the fuck up. There's nothing that can save you this time."

Naruto and Sasuke came running towards Black Zetsu. He was surrounded on four sides, plus the ground was no longer accessible.

Never had he wished more than anything that he was able to fly.

They stormed towards Black Zetsu from each side while Madara and Hashirama held him in place. Though his face was so hard to read, they all knew without a doubt that Black Zetsu was terrified.

Naruto and Sasuke stretched out their hand, the blonde with her right, the raven haired with his left, and hit each of Black Zetsu's shoulders at the same moment.

Madara and Hashirama jumped backwards, not sure what would happen, but they had both felt the immense pressure of what the duo was doing.

"SEAL!" They screamed together, Naruto with such fury it was making her voice crack, and Sasuke with hatred etched in every syllable.

The creature's eyes widened as the two closest jumped away again, and for a moment it looked like whatever they had done didn't work.

"Wh-" Madara started to say, but before he could finish a scream pierced through the air.

With his hand clutching his chest the ground underneath Black Zetsu's feet started cracking up. The seal Kurou had placed on the ground broke and an intense vacuum grew from where Black Zetsu was standing.

"Get away!" Cried Naruto, her hand flew out as she motioned for them to do as she said.

None of them needed to be told twice.

Hashirama ran over to Shin, Izumi and Katsu, throwing the unconscious Uchiha over his shoulder and bolted with his two subordinates away. Madara was hesitating, because neither Naruto nor Sasuke was leaving.

The earth was shaking now, the cracks growing deeper before breaking free from the ground and sucked towards Black Zetsu.

"YOU! You!" cried Black Zetsu repeatedly, his voice so different now from how Madara was used to hearing him. "What did you…! How did you know! You are nothing compared to me! This can't end like this! Mother… Mother!" the creature cried in agony.

"Yes. Say hi to your mother from us, Black Zetsu. Tell her we made sure she can never come back, and that she's not welcome to try." Said Sasuke. He was following the movement of the earth closely, but also relishing in the sight of the creature being sealed.

"Yeah, you should thank us. We just made sure you would stay by your mother's side for the rest of eternity." Added Naruto, and finally they both turned and ran.

Sasuke had switched with a huge boulder up ahead, and was already far away while Naruto caught up with Madara. Together the two of them sprinted after the rest of the company.

"Further!" Shouted Naruto as Hashirama came into view while sheltering behind the side of a mountain. "This whole place will be dragged into the Chibaku Tensei!"

Madara looked over his shoulder, and was struck dumb by the rapid alteration to the landscape.

Black Zetsu was no longer visible underneath the rocks attaching themselves to him. Pieces of rocks were submersing him in a tightly packed group of boulders.

The ground no longer had cracks, but huge missing patches which were being ripped out of the ground, following after Black Zetsu as if he was a magnet.

"Damn." Said Izumi while looking over her shoulder with wide eyes.

Behind them the sound of cracking stone made them all cringe, but their course didn't falter.

Almost three kilometer away they stopped, and Naruto turned around and looked up.

There, high up in the air, was a huge globe of rocks. Naruto looked searchingly at it, but as a small smile lighted up her face, they watched as the huge gathering rocks flew upwards like a meteorite.

Sasuke came up behind them, watching the rock flying higher and higher.

"Huh, I never thought of that… We might get a second moon now…" Naruto mused, scratching the back of her head uncertainly.

"Dobe." Said Sasuke and rolled his eyes.

For a moment Naruto looked oddly back at him, like she couldn't believe he had called her something so offensive.

A smile grew on her lips and she gave a loud carefree laugh. A laugh Madara thought he'd never heard before.

"Teme."

"So… Did we win? It's over right?" Asked Hashirama, trying without succeeding to look through the massive amount of swarming dust.

Naruto started laughing for real now, bending down and resting her hands on her knees while her body shook.

"What's so funny?" Asked Hashirama curiously, but the corners of his lips were twitching upwards.

Sasuke chuckled and waved his hand.

"We… We…" Naruto tried to say. There were tears in the corner of her eyes now, but Hashirama was uncertain if they were from laughing or something else.

"We did it." Finished Sasuke for her.

They all looked up at the sky, where sure enough, a second moon was still floating high above them.

"I'm sure the gravitation of the moon will force them together. Don't worry, you didn't break your word, dobe. He will be next to his mother for the rest of eternity."

This time there was a self-satisfied smirk on his face, and swiftly Naruto straightened up and smiled so warmly she could just as well be shining.

"I'm so… happy." Naruto murmured, drying the wetness underneath her eyes away.

"Now what are we going to do with this mess?" Asked Madara pointing to the destruction they had left behind.

The dust was finally starting to go away, falling peacefully back down to the earth.

There was a huge crater the size of Konoha there now. Up from the mountain pass there was water leaking over the edge and falling pathetically down into the crater.

"Hm… If we change the stream going from Lake Karonichi we can fill this crater up with water… It would be a lake… A deep lake." Said Hashirama thoughtfully, and they all turned to look at him.

"But it would need a name. What about… the lake of bravery, power, sacrifice and devotion, the water which witnessed the end of the struggle between chakra and man!" Cried Hashirama as if it was the brightest idea he'd ever come up with.

"That's an idiotic name. It's the worst you've come up with so far." Said Madara, rolling his eyes. As if on cue, Hashirama started pouting.

"Fucking hell, Hashirama! I can't believe you're still doing crap like that! You need to overcome this neurosis of yours!" The Uchiha leader shouted and pointed at his friend.

"Fine. What would you call it then?" Asked Hashirama still looking depressed.

He looked back at the destruction, the broken mountainside and the huge void of earth sloping down. His eyes trailed back to Naruto who seemed lost to the discussion.

Her eyes had a faraway look, as if she wasn't with them at all. Sasuke stood next to her, seemingly in deep thought too, but for a moment they met each other's gaze.

Again, it was like they knew what the other was thinking, because Sasuke nodded and they both looked away.

"Lake of the End." Madara proclaimed and turned away from the blonde.

"I like that." Said Kurou while holding his bleeding arm. "This certainly felt like some sort of ending."

"That's… Stupid." Muttered Hashirama, folding his arms across his chest. He looked more like an overgrown up child than the Hokage.

"You need to learn how to deal with rejection!" Shouted Madara.

"I like it too. While your suggestion Hokage-sama, was stupid." Said Izumi with an air of knowing. Shin seemed indifferent, he was still watching the ball of rock far up in the sky.

Sasuke and Naruto on the other hand were looking oddly at Madara.

"Lake… of the End?" Naruto slowly enunciated, her heart making an odd skip in her chest. The blonde looked at Sasuke who seemed just as surprised by that name as she was. And then she was laughing again.

"What? It's better than Hashirama's idea! Why are you… Stop laughing, Naruto!" Madara growled. He was almost pouting as much as Hashirama.

Naruto got her act together, but still giggling she addressed Madara. "It's a great name. Truly."

Sasuke had crossed his arms with an air of thoughtfulness about him. "Almost like Valley of the End..."

"That's even better." Said Izumi nodding seriously to Sasuke. "But can that classify as a valley?" She asked aloud, but no one had the answer for that.

They all turned quiet, looking over at the crater before them.

Naruto started walking towards it, even though she wasn't sure why she felt the need to. Maybe she needed to confirm for herself that it was over. Finally. That they had done it.

The others mutely followed after her, looking curiously around to see the damage the Chibaku Tensei had caused to the once rich forest area.

It was completely unrecognisable.

When they reached the middle of the crater Naruto halted. She looked up to the cloudless sky and the now small spot up there.

From what she could see it was about half the size of the moon. Probably a result of Sasuke being an Edo Tensei, and in theory his powers weren't complete. But it was enough for this. Enough to rid the world of Black Zetsu.

They had no idea how long they stood there, but after a while Izumi and Hashirama lay down on the ground. The Hokage placed the still unconscious Katsu carefully next to him before falling back on his butt.

Shin and Kurou along with Madara copied his movement. Exhaustion was starting to creep up on them, the day's activity finally settled into their minds. An intense satisfaction of getting out of there alive gave them the need to just sit and watch the world pass by, knowing they were still a part of it.

Eventually Naruto looked up at Sasuke, and her eyes were again void of laugher. Madara shifted where he sat, wondering what was going to happen now.

"Well… Here we are Sasuke. In the Valley of the End. I promised you we would settle this once we got rid of Black Zetsu. You haven't attacked yet, are you still decided?" Asked Naruto, her hand combing through her hair while Sasuke looked mutely back at her.

"… I'm not sure." Answered Sasuke and shook his head from side to side. The tension which had temporarily faded during and after the defeat of Black Zetsu returned at full force.

"You know now, and yet…" Sasuke stopped talking, seemingly trying to find the right words.

He turned his back to the others, and the two walked a little away, but not so far that Madara couldn't hear them if he really tried.

"Even though you've lost just as much as me, you took a different path…" The words were a bit stifled, and Madara suspected he didn't like talking so close to them. Maybe he just didn't really like to talk, period.

"I have… There's no one here. You, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei… The village. It's Konoha, but not my Konoha." Answered Naruto, and all the spectators tried curiously to hear better what was being said. Luckily, they all had the wits to try and do it discreetly.

"Losing everyone… I think I also lost some of myself. I had Kurama of course, and he helped the best he could… But there was nothing anymore. Even changing time doesn't really help me. Mito is dead, so Tsunade baa-chan will never be born now… Jiji is here, but it's not the same. And yet…" she looked back at Madara before her eyes trailed over to Kurou and Hashirama.

The three mentioned people were looking pointedly away of course.

"I have precious people here too. Another purpose to fight for." She added sheepishly. "And all this time I've fought for you too. To make sure you one day can be happy."

The young man seemed to think hard over her words, turning them over in his head before replying. "Hmm… I see..." Sasuke took a deep breath, and with a slow movement he laid his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

She looked curiously down at it, wondering if he'd suddenly strangle her if she wasn't on guard.

What he said though was the last thing she expected.

"If I leave… You have to do it. You have to change the system. If I lay my faith in you, do you promise me to see it through? So no one has to grow up like I did. Or like you." The words were quiet, and said in a monotonous and flat voice.

Naruto seemed to have stopped breathing, her cerulean eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her lower lip started shaking slightly as she understood where he was going with this.

"You had lost all hope in me, hadn't you? But I call you dobe for a reason you know. Because of you I can't do it my way anymore. So I might as well let you give it a go. You've always been the second best after all." He said with some humour in his eyes.

The picture was so out of character for Naruto that she didn't know how to react at first. But then she registered what he'd said.

"Teme!" The blonde shouted and hit him hard on the shoulder. Even back by the rest of the group they heard the small laugh from Sasuke.

"I will. I promise to never let what happened repeat itself. That's a promise of two lifetimes." Naruto said and held up two fingers.

Sasuke's eyes went sad, he looked long at Naruto and then closed his eyes.

"Then release the Edo Tensei. It's time for me to go where I belong." Said Sasuke after what felt like an eternity to Madara.

"Sa...suke..." Naruto whimpered. Before either of them knew it, she'd she moved, hugging Sasuke tightly. She buried her head into the white wide collared shirt he was wearing.

Sasuke looked very out of place, but after a couple of moments he hesitantly let his arms reach around her shoulders, hugging her as closely as he could.

Naruto felt as if she had problems breathing, and it wasn't because of the hard grip Sasuke had on her.

She let herself feel it for the first time just how much she had missed Sasuke. Take in how much he had defined her as a person, and how at the end of the day Sasuke would always be her precious person.

It was odd how hunting Black Zetsu had made her lose her road so much. She had once claimed she would never give up, but for a while now she had…

Eventually she let go of him and stepped back, their eyes never leaving one another. Honestly, the both of them had forgotten their audience. The immensity of what was transpiring between them blocking out everything else.

"I guess you haven't changed that much after all." Said Sasuke, his arms still lingering on her shoulders before letting them drop to his side. "Release the Edo Tensei, Naruto."

The jinchūriki hesitated, and looked away. "You'll go away… I won't see you ever again. At least not the you like you are now."

"You will." Said Sasuke with absolute certainty. "We all die eventually. But at least now I can make sure we don't die together. If I killed you… The last of me would have gone with you. I think that's why I wanted you gone in the first place. If there's one thing I've learned from this little trip back in time, it is that there are worse fates than what happened to me."

Naruto cringed at those words. It wasn't like she hadn't managed. She had just stumbled a few times on her way.

She wondered what Sasuke had seen these past couple of days. What could possibly have changed his mind? Her brow furrowed.

Back before this whole mess started, she had been Sasuke's only friend. Even during the war she'd felt that bond. Who knew what would have happened if they had won.

Would they understand each other the way they do now?

She started going through hand signs slowly, trying to drag it out just a little longer before she lost him. Again. For the third time.

While she worked Sasuke did nothing but watch her, and she looked back.

At the final sign her resolve wavered, her hand shook violently, but with an effort she didn't know she had in her, she pressed through. "Release."

A silence as heavy as the Chibaku Tensei settled between them. Her friend swallowed, and it broke Naruto's heart to watch him.

In a way, Naruto was certain that in that moment, and just that single moment, they understood each other perfectly. They were both finally home.

As a result her mouth started spilling out all the things she wished she could have told him sooner. She spewed them all.

"I… I wish I could have seen everybody again. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to come here at all. That I'd truly died with you and the others… I miss you. I miss you all!" She stopped talking as a series of tearless sobs escaped her throat. Sasuke stepped away, surprised from the heartfelt words escaping from Naruto's most hidden chamber of regrets.

"It's so unfair…" She sobbed through her tears. "Why does it always have to be me? Can't anyone… else… I've been exiled from my own time… I'll never see anyone again. It won't be the same." She said as Sasuke's soul started separating from the body he had been borrowing.

With his eyes fixed on her he smiled. Truly smiled. Wider and more carefree than Naruto had ever seen him in her life.

"You're strong, Naruto. Be the unpredictable knuckle headed kunoichi we all love. And when you're old and tired of life, we'll see each other again. Live Naruto, I think you've earned it." He said, and in the last moments before his soul separated from his body, he poked her forehead with two fingers.

Naruto barely registered the limp and dead body falling to the ground, the body of master Yasu which lay cold and still while Sasuke parted from his temporary host.

Madara felt gloomy and depressed listening to Naruto. Seeing her this torn up didn't sit well with him. So weak and desperate. It was beyond what his stomach could take.

He'd never known. Never guessed anything of this magnitude. Even though he was unsure what exactly this was, he was pretty sure Sasuke was dying. Making the last thread of Naruto's old bonds tear apart.

Sighing heavily he looked sideways, and spotted a sobbing Hashirama being entirely too emotional.

Clenching his fists, Madara looked up at the sudden exclamation coming from Naruto.

Hashirama and Madara gasped as the scenery changed. Kurou actually gave a small shout of shock and backed up together with Shin and Izumi.

Naruto and the departing Sasuke looked confused from side to side. "What is going on?" Asked Hashirama looking towards the many glowing lights all around them.

"How?" Asked Naruto looking back at Sasuke. "You're not depa-" She stopped mid-sentence, and the reason for that was clear.

Everywhere around them a large number of glowing lights was appearing.

Thousands of them.

Hashirama was already on his feet, walking backwards. He was both alarmed and out of his depths with what was happening. Madara came closer to Naruto just as Sasuke's half floating body moved down to the ground again. He was smiling as he looked to the lights.

"It looks like you'll get your wish fulfilled, Naruto." He said calmly.

Naruto didn't answer, she had put her hands over her mouth in shock as she recognised the lights. She recognised their chakra as if she'd felt them yesterday.

They took shape, as they surrounded them.

Her mum and dad were the first she noticed, since they were standing very close to her and Sasuke.

Then she spotted Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shizune, Ino, Kiba, Shikamaru, Hinata, Choji, Sai, Captain Yamato, Shino, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Iruka, Konohamaru, Killer B, A, Itachi, Nagato, Obito, Lee, TenTen, Neji and so many more.

More people than she knew herself, but was sure, at some point, that she had felt their chakra.

Most of them were wearing the headband with the word 'Shinobi' engraved into the metal.

Naruto couldn't speak as the souls of her mother ran towards her.

"Naruto!" She shouted, and Naruto stretched out her hand towards her but it slid right through her.

Naruto wasn't dead, so she couldn't touch her mother's soul. However, she did feel her mother's fast flowing and whirling chakra signature embrace her hand were they should have been touching.

"Mum?" She whispered with an effort.

"We're so proud of you, Naruto." Said Minato as he stepped next to Kushina.

"You have been so lonely, Naruto. I am so sorry you have to go through this. So we came to show you our appreciation. All of us came to see you one last time, Naruto. These are everyone whose heart you've touched. Everyone who loves you, dattebane!" Said Kushina tearing up as well.

"Everyone..." She whispered looking wide eyed up at the thousands of glowing people who had gathered in the valley.

"Yes, the Sage of the Six Paths thought he owed you this much. You know, for ripping you out of time and space like that at the last moment during our fight with Kaguya." Said a calm voice, and a silver haired masked man stepped up next to her dad.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" She shouted in excitement. She was so happy, beyond ecstatic at seeing them again.

"Naruto, never change. Stay yourself and never lose hope." Said Sakura who stopped next to Kakashi.

"Sakura-chan..."

"We don't have much time. All of this was sort of a team effort, Hagoromo-sama was very helpful to tell us how this worked. He couldn't come himself though. To simplify it, we're using you and Sasuke to anchor us to the earth for a little while. We've saved up chakra for a while now, but we thought we'd let you finish the task first." Said Jiraiya who had his hands on his hips, grinning widely from ear to ear as their eyes met.

"Ero-sennin! You're here, I..." Naruto stuttered and felt entirely too overwhelmed to make sense of what was happening.

"The Allied Shinobi Forces, and even Haku and Zabuza are here." Sasuke said pointing towards one of the many people amongst the crowd. "But there's not much time, we will all leave soon."

"Stay strong, brat." Added Jiraiya as the people started glowing fiercely. Naruto wanted to reach out and hug every single one of these people, even A who was standing together with rubber man.

"We are with you Naruto-chan!" Shouted the Kumo ninja Omoi, for once very optimistic as he waved to her.

"Keep it up! You're already the best Kage the Five Great Nations has ever seen!" They heard Tsunade exclaim.

Naruto actually gaped as she looked over at Tsunade, her eyes wide. "Baa-chan! I'm so sorry… Mito… Mito?" She said confused as the very familiar shape of her late best friend stepped up from the crowd. Hashirama started stammering in shock at the sight of his dead wife smiling to all of them.

"I don't regret it, Naruto. I'll see you again one day, but make sure it's not too soon okay?" She said teasingly from next to Tsunade.

"How can you both be here? How can all of you be here?" Asked Naruto so shocked she felt like throwing up.

"It's the same way you could summon Sasuke. In the afterlife there's no such thing as time, but to be summoned to the earth you need an anchor. Everyone here has been in touch with your chakra, Naruto. Some by being hit, some by having it shared, and chakra is what we used as the anchor. Anyone can be summoned back at any point in time but you need an anchor. The most usual is DNA and that is only required after one is born and the reason people confuses the edo tensei with being a technique to summon the dead, instead of what it truly is which is the technique to summon souls which is waiting in another dimension. Everyone is at one point born, Naruto. Maybe not into the same person they were in the other time line, but Tsunade for example will probably be born at some later point in time, to different parents and under a different name. But her soul will be born, just not the way you remembered her. We've been planning it for a while now." Explained her father with a wistful smile.

"Why didn't you warn me?!" Naruto asked Sasuke breathlessly.

"Honestly, I didn't remember while I was in that earthbound body. The last thing I remember was the fight with Kaguya." He said and shrugged. "I remember now though…"

Naruto knew she was smiling, but in general she was lost to her own reactions. It felt as if she was outside her own body.

Like she was soaring.

"We believe in you, baka!" Shouted Kiba while the ever silent Shino waved from next to him and Hinata cheered. They looked truly happy, not angry at all for all the changes she'd done.

"Remember, you need to let others help you. Don't try to do everything alone. You can only achieve your goals together with your friends, Naruto." Said the deep and calm voice of Itachi's soul. He was smiling and looking at her from next to the young looking Obito and the serious Konan.

They both nodded, and Obito whooped and gave her a thumbs up.

"Keep your courage up. And the babes will flock! Awheeee!" Rapped killer B terribly.

"Never doubt yourself!" It was to Naruto's surprise Kabuto who said this.

Everyone started shouting encouraging words as Naruto noticed they were becoming more and more transparent. They were already departing to the afterlife again.

The tearing inside her was both breaking apart and healing at the same time. Was there such a thing as being utterly broken and fixed at the same time?

Team Seven came forwards and stood in front of her, all three of them glowing and more transparent than ever.

It was hard to see their expressions clearly, but Naruto was staring so intently at them it was impossible for her to miss how they looked back at her.

"We love you, Naruto." Said Sakura crying hard, but smiling proudly.

"Don't forget us or your promise." Said Sasuke and nodded to her.

"We'll be with you in your heart, rooting for you always. So please do not feel guilty, you've already saved us." Said Kakashi in the end, his words sounding like nothing more than a weak echo as the lights went out and they disappeared completely.

Still the sound of her teacher's voice rang inside her head even after they were gone.

The area turned back into the rocky deep crater, still swirling with dust and no lights was to be seen.

Only the dead body of master Yasu was left behind, and the small group of seven ninja and one unconscious one was standing behind her in shocked silence.

It contrasted vastly to the huge group of people who'd been there only moments before.

The Hokage was trying to absorb it all, the souls encouraging shouts. Naruto's explanations and pain. He studied the back of her head where she stood motionlessly and alone.

Both men stepped forwards at the same time as Naruto finally collapsed. Her body was shaking violently as she cried her heart out at last. While her face was covered in her hands she succumbed to her own agony. Her desperate longing for those she'd lost.

They looked hopelessly on, knowing there was nothing they could do or say to ease her suffering, and that all they could do was be there.

Doing their best to make her understand there was still someone who loved her left in this world. People who counted and needed her.

But Naruto was lost to them in that moment. She gave no regards to the confused expressions they shared, or the small twitch in Katsu's hand as he started gaining his consciousness again, nor the finally comprehending light in Hashirama's eyes.

Right then, all she could do was let herself mourn what would never be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading everyone! The chapter had been beta'd by Jayden-the-Jaded who as always has done a wonderful job.
> 
> Warning: Loooong rant ahead.
> 
> It's a long time since last update, but in return I give you a very long one! I went a bit overboard with this chapter. I think the fight itself is like, one and a half chapter on it's own, and I just had to have the last scene included. It's over 13 000 words in total, and I really hope the fighting scene didn't bore you all to sleep… But you know, it's the final show down, and I had to make it big right? … Right?
> 
> But speaking of chapters, there's only two left of this story now!
> 
> The last is already written and is more or less ready, it just needs a few tweaks and then it's finished. Which means I've only got one more chapter to write before this is all wrapped up! That is if there's nothing I feel should be added. Or maybe I'll just make a stupidly long chapter again.
> 
> Holy crap, for a while now it felt like I'd never get to the finish line… But well, if all goes as planned there really isn't much left to write.
> 
> PS: I know how cheesy the last scene is, and yes, it was on purpose. It was one of the scenes I had planned from the beginning. I just had to drag Naruto through the mud first. I was going for bitter sweet. They use the same technique Hagoromo use to summon the past kages to the earth after their death.


	27. Ivy

**Chapter twenty** **six** **–** **Ivy**

_The ivy plant is an evergreen and strong plant which can grow in the hardest of environments . In symbolism it can refer to dependence, endurance and faithfulness._

* * *

It was strange, because Naruto felt like she was on a gently rocking ship. There was movement underneath her, and she felt as if she was steadily moving forwards.

Opening her eyes she noticed the dark spiky hair her nose was pressed into. The hair strands was tickling her neck and got into her eyes when they opened.

Naruto was in a place she didn't remember— a small winding path in the middle of a wild forest, where sunlight filtered through the leaves, making unique patterns on the soft soil.

It took the blonde another moment to realize she was being carried by Madara on his back. Hashirama was strolling next to them while whistling in the morning light. Ahead of them she could see Shin carrying Katsu in a similar fashion as herself. Furthest up ahead Izumi and Kurou were talking animatedly to one another, but she was still too tired to understand what was being said.

The blonde was about to ask what was going on when Naruto remembered what had caused her to end up in this state. It was actually pretty embarrassing, and she felt her cheeks start to heat up at the memory of crying so hard she couldn't move. At one point she must simply have fallen asleep down there in that crater. Or passed out from dehydration, but Naruto was pretty sure it was the first.

The picture of her old family came back to her— everyone who'd shown up on the battlefield, just to wish her well. Naruto felt calm and warm as she thought of her old friends.

It still sent a bite to her heart thinking of them, but now Naruto also felt she had come to terms with it, at least more than she'd been before.

Seeing her precious people who she'd happily die for yet again was more than she had ever dared to daydream of, it had been a desperate longing, not an actual wish.

Her memories showed their smiles and love for her, all of them united in a circle around her. While she couldn't be a part of that circle anymore, Naruto felt they were still with her. Finally she knew with certainty that she'd done the right thing, that she at last could go on with no regrets.

And lying limp against Madara's back Naruto made herself a promise that from now on, she would look forward instead of to her past—building a life in this time, instead of longing for the impossible.

"Are you feeling better now, Naruto?" Asked Hashirama. He was the only one who'd noticed her awakened state, and he smiled warmly up at her. His Hokage cloak, which he had never actually taken off since Naruto asked permission to use the Edo Tensei, was ripped and dirty. But otherwise he seemed healthy as a horse.

She felt Madara's grip tighten around her legs, probably understanding she must have woken up.

The others stopped in front of them and looked back. To her surprise Katsu was awake, and still very blind. They waited for them to catch up before continuing their walk.

It had been very confusing in the heat of the battle to see how hurt the others had been. But everyone except Katsu and herself were awake and walking on their own two feet.

Kurou had a scar reaching from his bottom ear to his nose, there were also bandages on his upper arm but otherwise he seemed fine.

Shin had a black eye while Izumi looked just the same as always, except her clothes were more tattered than usual.

The thought of wounds made her wonder how Madara could possibly be the one carrying her. He'd ended up in the middle of a Bijū Bomb, but was somehow still able to drag her with him.

"Yes… Thanks for staying with me and dealing with my… eh… breakdown. You shouldn't have seen that..." She muttered and held on tighter to Madara. The Uchiha smiled a little as she pressed herself closer to him.

"Nonsense. You had to see your friends disappear again. We understand now how much pain you must have been in. Not completely of course, none of us can truly imagine what that must have been like. But we're trying to understand and be here for you. After all, you are one of our precious persons, Naruto," Hashirama said, smiling at Madara who nodded.

Naruto felt her cheeks warm and she felt grateful for Madara's wild hair, it was so easy to hide behind it. "Thank you… I'm better now. I'm glad you finally know. I've never liked lying and especially not to friends. After this I think… I can finally move on. Knowing I'm not disrespecting them, that they won't hate me for leaving them behind. I've spent so many years wallowing in the past, and I have felt too much guilt to… To make a new life without them." She whispered into Madara's neck. "You can put me down, Madara. I'm fine now."

They halted while the Uchiha let her down to the ground. She tested her own footing and was pleased to find herself in a good condition. It seemed it was only the emotional overload that had knocked her out.

Setting her eyes onto Katsu she walked up to him with a worried look. "Are you okay Katsu?" She asked softly when the Uchiha man turned his head in her direction but kept his eyes closed. He still had patches of blood on his face and clothing, but it was clear the others must have helped him wash of the worst at some point.

"Wonderful." Was the sarcastic reply she received and Naruto couldn't help but snort.

She lifted up her right hand and looked into the palm, not surprised when the sun mark was nowhere to be found. "Shit… I can try, but I don't think I can regrow your eyes Katsu… If this had just been before the battle... But if you just allow me, I can try." Said Naruto softly. She was certain that she remembered the feeling of regrowing Kakashi's eye. But her chakra no longer had the same potency as when she had the sun mark. It had been a loan anyway, it wasn't her own powers at all.

Katsu seemed indifferent and remained silent. Since he didn't reject the idea the blonde took that as confirmation and stepped closer to Shin where the Uchiha still lay limply over his shoulders. He seemed even more stubborn than usual. He had a reason to though, going blind couldn't be a very fun experience.

Naruto raised her hand and laid it carefully over his left eye while turning on Bijū Mode but knowing already it would have little effect.

Focusing on Katsu and what made up his body, Naruto tried to find it again, that sense of life force that could regrow his eyes. She found a hint of it, and focused on drawing it out while supplying it with her own chakra. Naruto was pleased when she found out it had some effect, and pushed harder, biting her lip in concentration while she attempted to fix the damage.

But no matter what it still didn't feel right.

After a minute she gave up and looked at Katsu again. His face had more colour to it now and there were less swelling around his eyes, but she knew already she hadn't been successful. "I'm sorry, Katsu… My healing powers have gone away without my sun mark. But do you feel a little better at least?" She wondered concerned.

"Hn. A little." He answered without much emotion.

Naruto folded her arms around herself and sighed at his stoic attitude. "I'm so sorry. I've managed to regrow an eye in the past, but I don't have that power anymore. It was just loaned to me while fighting the enemy. Now that Black Zetsu is gone the Sage of the Sixth Paths must have taken them back… I'm not even sure exactly when it happened."

"Sage of the Six Paths? Seriously?" Asked Shin with obvious doubt in his voice.

"How did you think I could fly? Or get those black staffs or the truth seeking orbs? It's the power I was granted fifteen years ago to stop Kaguya from escaping her prison. I got the Six Paths Yang Power while Sasuke got the Yin." Explained Naruto a little offended, but knowing there was no reason to avoid the explanation anymore. They had already seen way more than she'd ever intended for them.

"We might understand a little better now, but there is a lot of confusion on our part. If we take it slow and walk back to Konoha at this pace you'll have time to tell us about your past and the future you have been working to improve. Will you tell us?" Asked Hashirama gently as Naruto fell in step with him and the Uchiha leader. Katsu remained mute and brooding while he let Shin continue to carry him.

"Yes, I owe you that, and more importantly I want you to understand. It started… In a way I guess with the Clan Wars, but my story really started during the Third Shinobi War. With my dad's genin squad; team Minato, and the battle at Kanabi Bridge. How my sensei became known as Kakashi of the Sharingan." She said while trying to figure out how best to tell them everything. Naruto had already told master Yasu once, but that time had been different. The words had just spewed out and today she had no idea how she'd explained things. She knew she'd gone back a lot to explain things he got confused about.

So after thinking about it for a moment Naruto started telling her story. All of them staying silent and letting her tell them everything without interrupting.

* * *

As they walked through the forest of the Land of Fire, slowly getting closer to Konoha, Madara listened with rapt attention as she told them her background story. And the further she got into the story, the more disbelieving it got.

She started by giving a short summary of what she knew about the third war and her father becoming the fourth Hokage.

It developed into how they were attacked when her mother had just given birth by a mysterious masked man of the Uchiha clan and the attack on Konoha by the controlled Nine Tails.

Soon they heard of the sacrifice Minato gave by making Naruto the next jinchūriki and her isolated childhood. Growing up as an outcast in her village and how she struggled at the academy. And how she at the academy started her self-proclaimed rivalry with Uchiha Sasuke.

She told of the Uchiha Massacre, which had been done by their heir— Uchiha Itachi, who also happened to be Sasuke's older brother and how it changed him.

In two hours she went through her genin days and the battle at the Valley of the End, her training with Jiraiya of the Sannin and her return to Konoha.

Naruto explained how she was targeted by the Akatsuki, how they hunted down the jinchūriki's and her own chase after Sasuke to bring him back to Konoha.

They never interrupted as she explained the circumstances of the times when the Fourth Shinobi War broke out. How the masked man together with Sasuke infiltrated the Kage summit and how he had called himself Uchiha Madara.

When she came to this point everyone had been itching to ask about a thousand questions. But with one look at Naruto, they were all forced to let her finish talking before asking questions. It was taxing enough for her to explain all these things without being interrupted every second.

Then she started telling them of the union between the nations and preparations for the fourth war, which was both to protect the remaining jinchūriki and to defeat the Akatsuki.

She spoke of the many battles, deaths and the reanimated people who were forced to battle on the enemy's side against their own.

How they had suddenly been fighting the real Madara who was an Edo Tensei too, and the fake was discovered to be Uchiha Obito of team Minato. The kind and cheery boy who was believed killed in the third war.

The realisation that the real Uchiha Madara was the one who had found Obito underneath the boulders and that he had the love of Obito's life killed right in front of him. How the Eye of the Moon plan stemmed from Madara and that Obito was the tool to see it finished.

How the Ten Tails was reformed and the sudden reappearance of Sasuke with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan on their side. The reunion of Team Seven and the fight against the Ten Tails, Madara and Obito.

By now she wasn't talking to any of them; she just told the story out loud while she relived her own memories as they listened silently.

Madara was disgusted by what he heard, both at the ninja system and himself for becoming like that. He could somehow understand that someone could turn out that way, and at the same time it felt completely insane. But he had seen it many times before, had he not? The Uchiha had a large number of members who became less than mentally stable very quickly when losing someone they loved. The problem was he couldn't identify himself with the person Naruto was talking about. The only solid thing in common was his name.

What he really couldn't grasp was Naruto's actions. It made no sense how she'd dealt with things if what he had heard so far was true. Kurou and Hashirama had already told them what they knew of Sasuke and Naruto. So he'd already heard the impossible word time travel before Naruto got to that part of her story.

Therefore he couldn't grasp how she could have spared him after being thrown into the past. Had their roles been reversed he'd have killed her before she had left the mountain top the day they met so many years ago.

It was incomprehensible that she'd fought so hard for him. Unbelievable that she had tried to save him from himself, and that she had believed in him from the very start.

As she got to the final battle against Kaguya she got sad again. She told of how Black Zetsu was the one to orchestra everything, including guiding Madara down the darkest path there is. How they were transported to another dimension where they had been separated. And then how Obito had changed sides and worked for them to get Sasuke back.

And when things had finally started looking up it was only so she'd be targeted. The consequences had been earth shattering for her, because she hadn't been quick enough to get out of the line of fire.

The story came to an end when she told them of waking up in the same place as they had been on earth before being transported into Kaguya's dimension. But it was now many decades earlier, and Naruto had not understood what had happened. For a while she'd been thinking she was under some genjutsu or in the afterlife when she couldn't find anyone and discovered she'd been turned into a six year old.

She didn't seem interested in continuing after that and stopped talking.

There was a heavy silence between everyone once the story came to its end. Madara especially was tongue tied as he stared emptily into the forest. His mind trying to picture the many scenarios Naruto had just told them. He still came up blank at the idea of himself as some world destroying avenger. But apparently he'd been fooled by Black Zetsu too, just like the other Uchiha Madara had fooled Obito. Use the darkness in people…

No, he still couldn't get to grips with this. Maybe she was crazy after all.

"You've lived a harsh life, Naruto. To be this kind and still believe in us after everything you've seen and been through," Hashirama murmured, breaking some of the growing tension in the group.

"Yes… You are really… Fighting for me even after everything..." Added Madara depressed. He could comprehend now why Naruto had been so reluctant to get in a relationship with him. It was a sobering story that was for sure.

"I've always wondered where you got your conviction from, especially when we fought against each other during our failed attempt to capture the Yōnbi. I now understand better than I did before..." uttered Madara and sighed. He understood Naruto's side better, but had it not been for the abnormal spirits they'd ran into so recently there would be no way in hell he'd believe any of this.

The others gave some comments too, but Madara was still too deep in his head to register them. That was until the only female Uchiha in the group spoke up again.

"Wait a minute… Does that mean..." Said Izumi and started chuckling.

All of them looked surprised at the laughing Uchiha woman. "That you're actually thirty two years old?" She laughed again as Naruto started pouting.

Madara smirked despite himself as the mood lifted. "You must either have been a very good actor or very immature as an actual seventeen year old, Naruto. I never thought of you as more mature than us when we were twelve." Added Madara. "You still act as a kid sometimes."

Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "It's just my mind. My body is twenty one you know. And as an Uzumaki and a jinchūriki, I'll stay in better shape than you two as we grow older, dattebayo!" She retorted with a small crooked smile. It was very clear that Naruto felt better now than she'd been in a very long time.

After bickering for fifteen minutes they finally started reaching more familiar places. The discussion was far from over, but Madara knew he wanted this discussion when he'd processed the information better. They were now only a few kilometres away from Konoha.

"So what will you do now?" Asked Hashirama eventually, stopping Madara from telling Naruto exactly why she fitted better as an academy student than a jōnin when it came to organizing things. "You've finally done it. You've managed to seal away Black Zetsu before he could cause more damage. The future will change, many people who should have died will be alive, and people who were born might never be conceived." He told them looking worriedly at Naruto.

"I know. Mito is the prime example of that… But I've come to terms with that now. Seeing them all again finally convinced me that I did the only right thing I could have done. To be a ninja is to make impossible choices. You've told me that yourself Hashirama." She answered while playing with a kunai she'd threatened Madara with five minutes earlier.

"You will still stay right? There's no big evil God trying to get out of her prison anymore. Or there is and she just has no chance of escaping now. Black Zetsu is gone. You can stay in Konoha now." Said Madara hopefully.

She smiled back at him and nodded. "Now… It's time for me to just live my life… I haven't done that in this time yet. It's always been about the future… What everyone after me would get to do." She said looking up at the clear sky.

Her blue eyes glinted in the sunshine and her smile widened as she let her eyelids close. Slowly a thoughtful expression grew on her features.

"I guess it might be boring you know? I mean, not having anyone determined to kill me. What on earth will I do with all the time?" She chuckled and shook her head back and forth. "I feel so aimless… Oh well, I guess there's still one dream I haven't archived yet." She said and looked towards Hashirama.

"I still have to claim that hat from you Hashirama! I always used to say I'd be Hokage one day."

Madara laughed and patted her on the back. "I think you might just stand a chance, Naruto. You have to start doing more missions, though. And no bailing either. Izuna and I can't be the only one voting for you whenever Hashirama decides to retire. People need to see what you're made of. Just like we have first now truly seen." He said teasingly, seeing determination fill up her eyes once more. She obviously saw that as a challenge to be accepted.

"I'm intending to, Madara! I'll show them all what Uzumaki Naruto can do, dattebayo!"

"Um… Naruto, I think that would be Namikaze Naruto. That's your legal name after all, and strictly speaking you're not allowed to use that name since you're not a resident of Uzushiogakure." Added Hashirama and looked at Kurou who chuckled at the blonde's antics.

Naruto looked wide eyes at Hashirama, she probably hadn't realized her slip up, but she quickly gathered herself again. "Oh… Right. Namikaze Naruto then!"

* * *

Tobirama was waiting at them with a furious expression by the gates. His arms were folded and he tapped his foot impatiently as they came into view.

After sending Shin, Izumi and Kurou to the hospital with the weak Katsu he cornered the last three with a glare that could break glass with its intensity.

"You three… Leaving the village at a time like this… No patience… Completely careless… What if someone attacked?" He muttered under his breath as they all tried to look remorseful.

"And you, brother… What the hell? You're the Hokage! Do you remember what that role entailed? You wrote that law yourself! The leader that has to remain in the village! What sort of Hokage wanders out in the middle of the night without an explanation? I thought something horrible was going on! Damn it! Where the hell were you? I thought you were being tortured in a dungeon at one point!" He said getting louder with each word while his temper grew more furious.

"Eh… We sort of went after Katsu. He was in trouble, and you know… The rebels?" Hashirama stated remorsefully as his shoulders slumped.

"You… If the enemy was that powerful you should have raised the alarm, Hashirama. Not take yourself and Naruto out of the village to play heroes together with some Izuna look-alike!" He growled.

He sent Naruto a furious look before continuing to put Hashirama down for his short sightedness.

"I have half our forces out in the woods as we speak! You can't do that anymore, brother! You three can't sneak around the villagers' backs like when you were kids!" He continued but finally seemed to have gone through most of his insults and arguments since he was rapidly calming down.

Madara realised the one who had been the most scared was Tobirama, since he saw Itama coming towards them with a wide smile and a thumbs up.

"What the hell happened anyway? Where did you go? And master Yasu is gone. We found his will on the table in his room. We've been really concerned." Tobirama groused. Naruto held up her hand to stop him from continuing.

"We have Master Yasu with us… he… he died, in fact he sacrificed himself for us. The danger is gone now thanks to him and we sealed Black Zetsu when he was trying to kill us." She summarized.

Madara shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot but nodded when Tobirama looked at him.

Hashirama laughed nervously, but in an instant grew depressed again. "I'm sorry brother. I acted carelessly. Naruto was going after Black Zetsu with that stranger, but she was so stressed and worried I felt I had no other choice. Forgive me."

Sighing Tobirama let his arms fall to his side.

He then handed Hashirama a rolled up scroll and started telling him a bunch of chores that needed doing right this instant. Neither of the others envied their friend in that moment. It sounded like Tobirama had added to the list out of spite for their action. Once Tobirama had given the gist of what was to be done he addressed Naruto and Madara. By then Hashirama was walking hunched back away towards his office.

"I need you two to help me get in touch with the ninja I sent out this morning. They need to be informed of everything that's happened." He explained to the duo who were tired but agreed just to calm the Senju down from his bad mood.

It took Naruto a second before she changed her mind again though. "No wait! Madara got hit by a Bijū Bomb and he shouldn't even be walking! I'll use my Kage Bunshin and inform everyone, Madara should really follow the rest up to the hospital and get checked over." Explained Naruto hurriedly. Turning towards Madara she was met by scornful eyes, clearly he disagreed with her assessment.

Tobirama looked confused for a moment, looking hurriedly up and down Madara before he nodded. "Alright." Was all he answered, but his voice was much less stern than earlier. And some concern was showing in his eyes.

As Naruto turned and left the gates while Madara walked quickly towards the hospital, the blonde could hear Tobirama mutter silently to himself. "What on earth happened out there?"

* * *

"What's the verdict?" Naruto asked coming into the hospital room and seeing Izuna sitting in a chair next to his older brother's hospital bed. The young man looked up and smiled brightly.

"Naruto, it's great to see you're feeling better." He answered and looked with a small smile back to his brother. "He'll be fine... eventually. But he had three ribs, two toes and his right leg broken. I can't believe he actually carried you for so long, he's actually a mess. There was also a concussion and third degree burns to his arms and chest, but they were already healing when he returned to Konoha." Listed Izuna and shook his head from side to side. Madara was sleeping after the operation he'd been forced into, and the Uchiha leader looked surprisingly fragile where he lay in white sheets.

"Katsu is still blind as a bat, and we don't have any donor eyes at the moment. Once big bro wakes up we might find something, but he can only regain his sight in his left eye. I don't really understand what the medic nin talked about, but something about the connection to the brain or something was messed up in his right eye. At best he'll be a one eyed idiot from now on." Continued Izuna with a deep sigh. Naruto could see that he was worried, but hid it very well.

The blonde found a chair and plopped into it without taking her eyes off Madara. It had been bad then, she had known just from the fact that he was being so corporative when she'd told her story, maybe he had been in too much pain to register much of what she was saying.

_'Maybe he just has a higher pain tolerance than you, Naruto.'_ Said Kurama with a chuckled at Naruto's worried thoughts. _'I always heal you up so you don't really understand pain over a longer time period.'_

_'I can deal with pain, dattebyo! I'm just worried I'll have to explain everything a second time. We never really had the chance to discuss the other Uchiha Madara with Madara.'_ Retorted Naruto stubbornly.

_'He might be different from the Uchiha Madara we once knew of, but they still have the same body. I'm sure that pain was nothing compared to what I know he can deal with.'_ Explained Kurama in a bored voice.

Naruto thought about that for a moment and then agreed. _'I just hope he'll be alright…'_

_'Sure you do.'_

_'Why does that sound like you're making fun of me?'_ Naruto asked accusingly, but Kurama didn't bother to reply. He only laughed in his booming voice before pushing her out of the mindscape.

While beating herself up mentally, hoping it somehow would affect the stupid fox, she continued watching the Uchiha leader. "So you are concerned. That's good to see. And another thing, when are you going to confess your undying love for my big bro?" Asked Izuna nonchalantly.

Naruto sputtered and finally dragged her eyes away from her ex-lover. "Wha- What do you mean?" She muttered and felt her cheeks heat up.

"Oh, come on! I wanna win the bet I have with Hashirama."

"Bet? What bet!?"

"Well, it's not like I can tell you the specifics," exclaimed Izuna, huffing as if that was obvious.

"Why not? You just said you had a bet going. If you didn't want me to know you wouldn't have said anything at all, dattebyo!"

"You can know there's a bet going, and it's been going for a while now, you just can't know exactly what it entails." Said Izuna and smiled wolfishly. "Right now Itama is the one who's closer to winning and I just can't have that. So when are you gonna tell him?"

"You are so blunt sometimes, Izuna." Muttered Naruto.

Izuna raised one eyebrow at that comment and smoothly replied, "And you keep avoiding the question, blondie."

"I'm not avoiding it, I choose to ignore it," answered the jinchūriki, smirking right back at the Uchiha.

Izuna looked back to his brother and rolled his eyes. "Typical woman."

The smirk wiped away from Naruto's face and she shot up from her chair. "What the hell did you just say, you brat?!"

* * *

_**One week later...** _

Kurou and Hachirou were standing by the gates together with the squad that had faced Black Zetsu the final time. He was hugging Naruto tightly in farewell before he and his twin brother would leave to go back to Uzushiogakure.

This parting would be just one of many, since Kurou had promised to do his very best to patch up the relationship between their two villages. Uzu was having an easy time since the rebels had targeted Konoha instead of them, they would be happy to hear that Konoha had not only gotten rid of the threats to the village, but Mito's murderer as well.

Naruto had made him swear to never tell where she came from, not even to Hachirou. After some discussion he had agreed to those terms, and in the end called her Uzumaki Naruto, which had almost made her start the water works again.

None of the witnesses who saw that battle were allowed to say a word to anyone else but those who already knew. They were relatively sure all the enemy ninja who'd been there were dead or too far away to have heard anything, so her not-so-secret secret was still safe. She hoped...

Izumi was eating soup with Ketchup while leaning against the village boarders. Technically she was still on guard duty, but she had convinced Kurou to have a farewell feast with them before leaving.

Hashirama and Shin had politely declined by bringing their own food, and the rest found out why after the first spoonful.

Madara appeared recovered again, but that was only because of the act he kept up. When he was released from the hospital he had refused to use the crutches the nurses had tried to push on him. Though truthfully they hadn't tried very hard, most people were terrified of Madara. In the end Naruto had sneaked the two wooden props into Madara's living room while he was asleep, which had not sat well with him.

He still didn't use them, and had chosen to ignore the fact he'd been one blow away from being a cripple for the rest of his life. Katsu was still getting used to being blind, and it was making everyone depressed. He was furious about what had happened to him, and was often heard muttering curses he wished to inflict on Black Zetsu.

It was also strange that he refused the donor eyes Madara had offered him. They were Madara's old eyes. After his father's death Madara had taken his eyes and had now the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, but Katsu seemed hell bent on never having anything to do with that dōjutsu ever again. Even if it meant he would remain blind for the rest of his life. It was a good thing Hana, his fiancé, was such a supporting woman, or the man would be completely unbearable to be around. But Naruto hadn't written him off just yet. Once he'd snapped out of the shock the jinchūriki was planning on having a long talk with him. They always said she had a way with words. Clumsy and incomprehensible though they sometimes were.

Kurou and Hachirou were now starting their road home, and it was strangely bittersweet to see them leave. Hachirou was still pretty clueless about what had happened, but he knew his brother well enough to know something had gone down. Naruto wondered how he'd try to get the information out of Kurou, but knew at the same time he'd have as much success as if he were trying to get the info out of a rock.

Kurou always kept his word; it was what she liked the best about him. Hachirou knew this too, but he also enjoyed riling up his younger twin brother by three minutes.

"I hope they'll come back for my wedding." Said Izumi, startling all of them from the comfortable silence that had until now fallen between them.

"What? Who're you engaged to? In fact, I've got no recollection of you even being courted by anyone." Muttered Madara with confusion in his voice.

Izumi smiled mischievously and chuckled. "Oh, I'm not, but I'll still get married. You'll find out who it is eventually, Madara-sama."

* * *

_**Two months later...** _

"It was obviously not a cat. It had hanging ears and dots all over its fur. What cat has those things?" Naruto stated while brushing away her hair from her face. It had turned sweaty from the exercise, and she wished she could take a bath instead of having this argument with Madara.

"It was a cat." He replied in a bored tone.

"That's not an answer." Bit back Naruto while folding her arms over her chest.

"And as usual you're avoiding the real discussion, I think you're using this stupid argument to avoid the elephant in the room." Madara replied, rolling his eyes.

"...I'm not," replied Naruto, lying through her teeth. "I just think it can be postponed until another time, dattebyo."

Madara snorted and turned towards her. "That's what you always say. I on the other hand say we should get married." He stated and watched as Naruto grimaced before starting to pout. Same old, same old.

"Why?" Naruto moaned and moved away from Madara. "It's not like there's a law that say you have to be married to be a couple."

"Actually there is. While kissing publicly or in private is only frowned upon, if you got pregnant we'd be in serious trouble." He said and looked pointedly to her. Naruto felt even more naked than she already was under his heated stare. They'd been well on their way to a second round when this stupid argument had come up. Again. Not the cat discussion, the marriage one.

Naruto didn't like the fact that these times were still so old school when it came to relationships. She remembered clearly that Asuma and Kurenai had a child out of wedlock in her original time. Why did everyone have to be so darn strict about those things in these days? It was a private matter that had nothing to do with anyone else.

"Well, I'm not getting pregnant anytime soon. I'm careful about taking those herbs within twenty four hours." She said and rolled over on her side so she was facing Madara. His eyes trailed down her flushed body before coming back up to her face.

"Well, you cannot get pregnant and be married to me at the same time you know." He said and rolled his eyes before fixing them up into the ceiling. "I can't figure you out at all, Naruto. What sort of woman doesn't want to be married anyway?" He added as an afterthought.

"Many women don't want to get married, Madara. But anyway, I didn't say I wouldn't want it eventually, but right now I'd like to figure out if we can actually be together without ripping out each other's throat in the long haul. It's called dating." Explained Naruto knowingly, letting herself rest into the futon again.

"Dating?" Asked Madara confused, his eyes trailing back to hers when he asked.

"It's when two people like each other very much and they try to be together. You date when you want to find out if you're compatible, or if it's simply just lust." Stated Naruto teasingly. She came closer to Madara and laid her hands on top of his bare muscled chest while trailing a finger down between his pecks. A small blush growing on her tanned cheeks when she looked up to his burning stare.

"Dating is the stage you get to know someone and find out the things that makes the other tick. Find out if you're in love." She continued, trying to keep her thoughts to the conversation instead of the many new ideas she got. Madara was following her movements with unrivalled attention. How her bare chest rose and sank in rhythm of her breathing, how her blonde hair fell over his right arm and tickled his skin. She was simply gorgeous. And while there were no official papers who said so, she was still his.

"We know everything about one another and what makes us tick. We already love each other." He said in a slightly rougher voice than he had been meaning to, his searching hand moving to her neck. Gently he caressed the soft smooth skin there. It was amazing that a ninja of her level didn't have a single scar except for her birthmarks. No scraped skin, no burns or a freckle. There wasn't even a tan line. The Kyūbi must be the best healer to ever exist.

"Oh? Dating leads up to a relationship, and if the relationship works for some time you can then decide if you get married or not. If you truly want to see his or her face every day for the rest of your life." Continued Naruto and slowly moved her own body on top of Madara's, making his hand slide down her shoulder and down to her waist while she changed her position. Their skin was pressed closely together, and it was making it difficult to focus on anything other than the others reactions.

Madara let his other hand go up to her waist too, stroking slowly up and down before moving both callous hands further around her. He held her in place, not letting her escape.

"Could you, Madara? One day I'll be Hokage and then I'll be much less available. It's a busy job after all." Said Naruto a little breathlessly as the Uchiha's hand started wandering down towards her ass instead. Their faces were so close all Madara had to do was tilt his head a centimeter up to touch their lips together.

"You seem awfully sure of yourself, Naruto. You still have to gain that hat from the current Hokage. I've also heard that since I don't want the position, both Tobirama and Izuna are being considered too." He replied as Naruto sat up so she was straddling him, theirmore intimate parts being the only thing connecting them now. Naruto was already feeling the odd fluttering sensation in her lower stomach, the feeling of wanting Madara like this. From the poking between her legs the blonde knew very well that her lover felt the same way.

"There's no way I will lose, Madara." She said huskily, and Madara watched as she grabbed his hands which he had been trailing down her thighs and let her hands fist around his wrists. She made him let go of her before forcing his hands above his head. Pinning him down while her hair made a curtain of golden hair, separating them from the rest of the world.

"I'll take that position one day, but right now there's some positions I'd rather try with you instead." Madara couldn't find a proper reply to that. He vaguely wondered if all girls from the future were this forward in bed, or if this was just another one of Naruto's quirks. He didn't dwell on it for long since he felt very agreeable to the direction this was going.

"Well, I won't complain too much if you continue letting me do this. But I'm not known for my patience, Naruto, and I've already waited long enough. You're mine." He muttered just before their lips connected for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Naruto seemed pleased enough with that answer, and moulded their bodies together so closely even air couldn't separate them.

"Oh, and..." Said Madara against her lips as they connected by the hips. His breath getting caught in his throat at feeling her warmth. "... that... really was a cat... earlier."

"No it... wasn't."

* * *

_**Six months later** _

Itama looked sullen and more than a little angry as Tobirama handed his older brother the latest documents he'd brought back from the office. However his brother wasn't interested in reading them, instead he was gloating over something else entirely.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Naruto had just left the house. "Yes! I won, Tobi!" Hashirama said the moment he spotted his advisor standing in the same room as him. "Izumi, Izuna and Itama owe me now." He exclaimed happily, and Tobirama realised instantly what this was about.

There were not many things that involved Itama, Izumi and Izuna owing his older brother something.

"What? Really?" Muttered Tobirama and placed the papers on the bookshelf instead. He decided to remind his brother of them when he was less excited. "I've never heard of a woman proposing before though. I can't believe Madara actually accepted that." He said honestly surprised.

"Then again, he's asked so many times and got rejected each time I can imagine it was just a tactic to get his way." Said Tobirama and felt himself smirk at the idea of _the_ Madara of the Uchiha clan being proposed to by his not so secret lover.

"I'm not paying that." Stated Itama sullenly.

"Stop moping, Itama. There are more women in the world than Naruto-san." Said Tobirama and rolled his eyes. Hashirama nodded seriously, but couldn't stop his growing grin from spreading over his face again.

"So Izuna lost because Madara wasn't the one to propose, while Itama lost because he bet they wouldn't get together at all. While Izumi bet they'd just elope so she owes you money too. I have to say your luck is uncanny when it comes to gambling. A woman proposing..." Said Tobirama and shook his head.

"That's not going publicly though." He added as an afterthought.

"Oh, who're you kidding, Tobi? This is Naruto we're talking about after all. There will be flocks of women who'll ask about the proposal. I remember that after I asked Mito. Do you really think she'll tell anything but the real version?" Chuckled Hashirama gleefully, still eyeing his youngest brother while wondering if he should demand the sum now or later. Probably later, Itama was still pretty upset after all.

"I have no idea how Madara can put up with her, they're like oil and water." Tobirama said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. The idea of two more unlikely people marrying was hard to imagine.

"Yes they are! They're _so_ going to regret this." Added Itama, but the white haired man sent him a stern look which made him shut up and continue moping.

"Don't worry, Itama. You just experienced your first heartbreak, but that's natural, especially when you go for an older woman and you're still a little kid." Started Hashirama saying.

"I'm not a little kid, brother! I'm sixteen and I've killed! I'm a soldier of Konoha!" Cried Itama indignantly.

Hashirama ignored the outburst and continued as if nothing had disrupted him. "But sometimes love doesn't go the way you want it to. Be happy that Naruto is happy. That's all you can do little brother." He finished with a warm smile.

"I _am_ happy for her. I just think she has horrible taste in men. I mean, Madara isn't exactly the kindest person out there. They're always arguing about something and I can't understand what they possibly can have in common." Explained Itama frustratingly.

"They're both powerful ninja and they both enjoy battling." Explained Tobirama after a moment silence. "And arguing isn't always a bad thing. Family argue all the time but that doesn't mean we don't love each other."

Itama made a grimace at the word family, probably picturing Madara's offspring at those words. "I'm starting a new mission today." Said Itama with certainty.

"Oh?" Asked Hashirama. The change of subject had been a little abrupt and he didn't remember assigning him anything this weekend.

"Yes. I'll find myself a girl to court. That way Naruto can see how it's supposed to be like." He explained and ran out of the room.

"Oh, kami..." Muttered Tobirama staring after him while his older brother chuckled loudly. "I doubt the jealousy tactic he's planning will have much effect." He said and smiled to Hashirama. "I'll let him figure this one out on his own."

The Hokage had problems stopping his laughter and nodded in agreement. "Ah, yes you should. I always say most things are better learned through experience."

"That's just an excuse you use whenever you put down a ludicrous bet, brother." Tobirama stated with a sigh at the memory of his brothers more insane gambles.

"And I've yet to lose, Tobi! I'm seriously starting to think there's something supernatural going on here."

* * *

_**Ten months later...** _

Naruto was sitting together with Madara and Hashirama up on the Hokage Mountain while Hashirama told them what to expect when they left for their next mission.

The Hokage was fed up with paperwork and Naruto had given him the small hint that a Kage Bunshin could go a long way if all he had to do was paperwork. The Senju had looked downright shaken for a moment, before he'd joined them out for a walk and left three clones back at the office who all grumbled over the work load.

Instead he decided to give their mission briefing up by the mountain as the sun set on the horizon. They would leave the next day together with Tobirama and scout the area, but the younger Senju brother already knew everything.

There was still no peace, and the troubles were far from over. But Naruto felt much more optimistic that the world was closer to reaching that goal than ever before. Though, while the Yuki Akebino, Terumī and Hōzuki clans were not a problem anymore there were still other problems to be handled.

So while they talked and considered the next mission the three childhood friends sat with their feet dangling from the edge of the mountain. Feeling the fresh air hit their face and rough up their long hair.

"Oh, and I got some wonderful news from Itama today. He came back from his scouting mission this morning." Said Hashirama and smiled brightly to the others. "It seems we have a new hidden village to start cooperating with. A village just signed the official papers to the capital of the Land of Wind as a new settlement for ninja. They named the village Sunagakure." Said Hashirama knowingly.

Naruto perked up the moment he said the last words, her eyes shining in excitement as she understood what was happening.

"Suna? Seriously!" She exclaimed excitedly, wanting to dance with joy at the idea of the desert village hidden in sand. "That's wonderful, dattebyo." Naruto said, feeling overwhelmed and at the same time carefree at these news.

It would be the second of the hidden villages to be officially made, and it made her heart sing at the memory of Gaara and his siblings. Maybe she could make sure they too had a better childhood this time around. Suna probably had Shukaku already, but that wouldn't stop her from giving them some healthy advise about the use of bijū.

"Yes, I knew you'd be excited to hear that." Chuckled Hashirama while Madara only smiled.

"I guess we'll have to go there soon and congratulate them." Said the Uchiha leader while Naruto was having problems sitting still.

"Yes! We should create an alliance with them!" Added Naruto.

"That's probably for the best. I was going to send you, Naruto. Since I was pretty sure you'd be up for the job." Hashirama said with a knowing smile, thinking back to all her diplomacy work in the past and her continued dedication to make new bonds between enemies.

The blonde gave a brilliant smile in return, her whole face lit up at the idea of making the familiar trip from the gates of Konoha to the fortress like village in the desert. It would be great to see that place again.

"I'll go too." Said Madara thoughtfully. "Just to make sure she isn't set up. Naruto has quite the reputation these days."

Naruto scowled at the reminder. It had been a lot harder to go unnoticed these days. Apparently some of the rebels must have survived to tell the tale, since she was now being targeted quite frequently. "Yeah, probably for the best." Naruto agreed, taking both men by surprise. She was usually stubborn about managing on her own. The growing number of arguments usually revolved around Naruto feeling the need to do everything on her own.

The blonde noticed the odd looks her fiancé and Hokage were sending her, and she wondered what she said wrong. "What?" She asked confused.

Madara shook his head and leaned back on his hands. Letting his feet dangle with the wind while watching the darkening sky above them. The last sun rays of the day were hitting the underside of the clouds, giving them a rich orange colour which bathed their surroundings in a golden hue. "I'm just glad you're finally letting us in is all." He said quietly, making a small smile appear on Naruto's face.

They didn't speak after that. All three sat with a sense of calmness inside them while watching different aspects of Konoha: the big sculptured face of Hashirama who watched over the village, the trees being rustled by the evening wind, and the few falcons lifting up from the tree tops. It was a serene view of a village filled with people that mattered to all three of them.

It had been a long road that led Naruto to where she was now. It had been a steep one at times, and at some occasion her feet had lost all contact with the ground. For the thousand time in the last ten months the blonde thought over the one question which had kept appearing in her head; If she'd been given the choice, knowing what she'd be forced through, would she have done it?

Right then the only answer she had was yes.

Sneaking a look at her two friends Naruto decided to stop asking herself that question. She had made her choice and the conclusion was still the same. Maybe time travel wasn't all that bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Now there's only the epilogue left. After that's posted I can finally check off the box saying 'complete' on this story. Gyah! Still can't really comprehend that..
> 
> The next chapter will be shorter, about the same length as the prologue. And it'll take place many years after the last scene of this chapter. In a way you can say this chapter is the "real" ending of Second Wind.
> 
> This chapter has been beta'd by Jayden-the-Jaded. Thank you so much, you do a great job correcting and giving me tips.


	28. Butterfly Effect

**Epilogue** – **Butterfly Effect**

_Butterfly effect is a scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever._

* * *

Namikaze Minato sat reading through his tower high stack of papers. There was just so much to read through. If he'd known just how much of his job would be dedicated to sitting on his ass, he wondered if he would've been as determined at accepting the job as jōnin commander.

The ultimate goal was of course to become Hokage, but that position was still occupied— though he had it on good authority that Hokage-sama was considering naming him his successor whenever he stepped down.

He looked over at the photo on the desk next to the hundreds of papers. Only a few years old, it was a picture of his girlfriend, now wife, and himself sitting together outside on the training field. He would have to change the photo soon: one with all three of them would be nice.

He was wondering when he'd get the time to take that photo though; as long as daylight was out he was usually busy. While he speculated about using his lunch break for such an event, someone knocked on the door and Minato jumped in surprise. Recollecting himself quickly he told them in a professional voice to enter.

He was pleased, and relaxed instantly into his chair when he noticed it was Kushina. She was holding their newborn who was wrapped in an orange knitted blanket securely in her arms. The blanket was given to them by Senju Madoka, the great grandson of the first Hokage, who knitted it for them as a sort of experiment. He'd been going for a sweater, but had given up and made a blanket instead.

"Dear, are you not ready? We're supposed to be there in five minutes you know..." She told him while he smiled sheepishly back.

"Sorry, Kushina. I guess all this paperwork made me forget the time. Thanks for coming by, I'm really happy to take a break from this." He chuckled and got up while packing away all sensitive information.

It was against the rules for people without the clearance to see what was written on fifty percent of the documents, though it wasn't such a huge deal if Kushina noticed that Uzu was participating in the upcoming chūnin exam. They, just like most of the other hidden villages, had done it for as long as most could remember, and it was her home village after all. She'd be more shocked if they didn't.

That reminded him that most of her absurdly large family was coming to see the baby next weekend— all five siblings, her surprisingly well preserved grandfather Kurou plus her parents under one roof, which meant more stress. Wonderful. It was a good thing the aunts and uncles had decided to pay for a hotel.

He picked up a specific item and was just about to walk over to his wife when her scolding voice hit his ears.

"You can't do the Hiraishin now, Minato! Our child has never done it before and will get sick or start crying again. We need to keep the baby calm for this visit. You know Madara-sama is ancient in years. He's even older than Jiji! A crying baby wouldn't help with his condition on top of so many barging into his house." Kushina explained heatedly. The lack of sleep wasn't helping her temperament very much these days.

"Right, of course I know that. I just thought I'd take the kunai with me." Answered Minato uncertainly, letting his hand raise to the nape of his neck and rubbed it sheepishly. It was an old habit he had never been able to shake off.

"Why? So that the kids could eat it by accident?" Accused Kushina with her free arm on her hip. Yep, she was still very tired.

"Eh, if Fugaku... you know… Decides to challenge me to a spar again, I need to come prepared." He fumbled to answer while his wife rolled her eyes and marched out of the office. Minato took a quick moment to release a relieved breath before hurrying after her.

After they'd made their way down to the crowded street they walked together and chatted about the upcoming meeting. Some of their friends who happened to walk by waved to them, congratulating them on the baby.

They soon came to the ninja compound of Konoha. The civilians liked to have the ninja living a little away from themselves. It made for less nightly noises from ninja jumping on their roof tops, or doing an impromptu spar next to their windows. Not every ninja lived in this district though, but most of the larger clans did. The Senju, Uchiha, Hyūga, Yamanaka and Izunika especially liked to stay here.

The only worry Minato had was the dwindling number of people who wanted to become ninja. The occupation was becoming less and less needed, and many chose to go into business rather than martial arts these days. His biggest fear to date was that one day the noble art they practised would one day become nothing but some afternoon sport, but he still crossed his fingers and tried to find new uses for ninja.

There was still a fair amount left though. Old traditions was hard to squash out completely, so there were still a market for ninja missions but they were far from as dangerous and violent as they'd been back when Konoha was founded. It had been a decade since anyone had died as a result of a mission, and that had been through a freak accident with some explosive tags and a bonfire.

Walking towards a simple two story house with the Uzumaki swirl painted on the door, Kushina knocked and waited next to Minato while cooing to Naruto who giggled back.

The door opened and a man about the same age as themselves opened the door. He smiled brightly when he saw who it was. The grin was so wide there was a chance of his face splitting in two. Minato still had problems understanding how this man could be related to Uchiha Madara.

"Minato-sama! Kushina-san! I almost thought you had forgotten, dattebayo. You're usually on time, but I guess the office must keep you busy Minato-sama. And this must be the new addition to your family, right? Let me see the little one." He exclaimed and took the baby from Kushina who told him to mind the head and be careful.

"Ah… The baby has the same eyes as you, Minato-sama!" Uchiha Shiro exclaimed and gently rocked the baby back and forth. "And the whisker marks… They're just like baa-chan ones." He whispered while smiling down at the child. He seemed to momentarily go deep into his own thoughts before snapping out of it and look eagerly from one to the other.

"Come in, come in. He's waiting for you, and the others are already here. Do you want some tea?" He asked and ushered them in.

As they accepted the offer and walked into the house, the new parents looked curiously around. Neither had been there before, and it was an unspoken honour to be invited. They followed after the Uchiha and came into a crowded room where they saw who else had been asked to join them today.

Fugaku and Mikoto sat with their children on the couch while their eldest son held his younger sibling in his lap. The baby was laughing while Itachi made funny faces repeatedly.

They already knew the Uchiha couple would be there, but not their kids. What surprised them more was to see Hatake Kakashi sitting out of place on a chair next to the ancient Uchiha.

"Madara-sama! You look well. I heard the doctors told you to stay in bed. Are you sure you're up for such a large visit?" Asked Minato as he came into the room and bowed with his wife for the respected Uchiha.

"Minato, Kushina. I'm glad you came. Sit down please, I'm well enough for this. Can I see the child?" He asked and Kushina nodded.

"Sure! Shiro-san, why don't you hand the baby over?" Kushina said while smiling, but fussed while Shiro carefully placed the baby in Madara's frail arms. Worried her child would be dropped because of the man's failing strength. Minato just stood and made sure everything went okay. If the baby was dropped he was sure his Hiraishin would make it in time.

After the child was securely placed and comfortable in Madara's arms, Shiro headed into the kitchen. For a long time the old Uchiha didn't speak, only looked wide eyed at the child's face; the short blond hair, the three whisker marks and the blue curious eyes looking up at him. While he seemed engrossed in the child, everyone else was watching the Uchiha elder with curiosity.

"It…. It's a boy." He muttered while stroking his blond head gently.

"Yes, he'll be a little prankster I'm sure. He's already tried to turn over the paint box earlier today. Not that he had much success with that. He is only three days old after all." Said Kushina and laughed while giving her son a proud look.

Minato chuckled uncertainly.

"And I haven't seen your baby yet, Mikoto! Can I?" Asked Kushina and walked over to Itachi who was still entertaining the two months old baby with vigorous energy.

Reluctantly Itachi let Kushina hold the baby, even if it was only done when his father had given him a stern look.

"Oh, my! Is it a boy? He's so cute!" Exclaimed Kushina, making the baby Uchiha fuss and turn restlessly.

"Ah... no. It's a girl." Said Mikoto tiredly and a little offended. Minato guessed Kushina wasn't the only one to make that mistake.

"She's precious, Mikoto. What did you name her?" Asked Kushina and stroked the child's cheek.

"Well, Fugaku was convinced it would be a boy, so he asked permission from the Third to name him Sasuke. You know, after his father Sarutobi Sasuke. But it's a girl, so we went for Setsuko." Explained Mikoto and smiled with growing energy now that they were talking about her daughter.

"It's a girl?" Asked Madara surprised, making both of the child parents twitch but not comment on it further. No one talked back to Uchiha Madara since the man was very well respected. Not to mention scary...

"Actually Madara-sama, we're so glad you invited us over today. We have a question to ask you." Said Minato looking over at the wrinkly white haired man who was still looking down at their little boy.

"Ask away, Minato-kun."

"Is it alright if we name our child Naruto? After the Nidaime?" The blond asked Madara seriously. Kushina, who was still gently rocking Setsuko, looked quickly up and paid attention now that the question was out in the open.

When Madara didn't immediately answer, Kushina started rambling. "We know it's a little strange to name him after a woman, but Naruto goes well with a boy too. And she's a wonderful role model. They share the same birthday you know. Tenth of October! He also has the same whisker marks and blond hair. I even recall Naruto-sama had very clear blue eyes. We think the name fits him well don't you think?" Asked Kushina nervously, handing back Setsuko to Itachi who eagerly took back his baby sister.

Madara didn't take his eyes off the child, but slowly he smiled and nodded. "Yes… She had very beautiful eyes… Just like your son. He'll make a great ninja one day. Maybe become Hokage like Naruto. The name suits him." He said and let Kushina take her son back.

Minato thought the old man looked tired where he sat looking at Kushina and Naruto.

Not only old, he was eighty eight by now and the oldest man in Konoha, but almost sad. Maybe bringing Naruto had been a bad idea after all. Their son reminded everyone of the Nidaime, and he was sure Madara-sama missed her very much.

Everyone who'd ever met Naruto-sama missed her, himself included.

He had often seen her when he was young. She had even given him instructions on how to use the Rasengan before he'd even started the academy. Telling him if he trained hard he'd learn it in no time. The Nidaime had always been helpful to everyone, and a no name kid like himself hadn't been an exception. If anything he felt he got more attention than most.

Minato had always assumed that was because of the strange coincidence with their names. Namikaze. Back then he'd been under the impression she was an Uchiha though, so it had taken him a few years before he realised there was a possibility that they were distantly related. It was around that time he started dreaming of becoming a Hokage. He had wanted to be just as strong and inspirational as Naruto-sama.

"Thank you so much, Madara-sama. Em… But you asked us to come because there was something you wanted to tell us right?" Minato asked as Shiro came back and indicated for them to sit down like the rest while he poured them tea.

"Yes… I just wanted to see your child first… I realise now… I might have waited longer than I needed to. Delayed too long. Naruto used to say I was too stubborn for my own good." He chuckled but his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Why are you here, Kakashi?" Asked Minato with a smile towards the teenager, the boy shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure, sensei. Dad told me to come here because Madara-sama had asked me to, so here I am." He said and straightened his mask a little, making sure it covered everything but the eyes and up.

"It's because he has as much reason to hear what I have to tell you as Itachi over there does. What I'm going to say is an S-rank secret, but some already know it. Like my grandson here." He said and pointed to Shiro who nodded and winked to Itachi.

"Every member of the Uchiha clan head family has been told when they were old enough." Madara explained tiredly.

"Then why are we here? Itachi hasn't even started the academy yet." Asked Mikoto and looked down at her children. "We're not part of the main family after all." She added.

"It still concerns you and you will understand better as I explain. You will have to forgive me for not telling you sooner. But I hoped she..." He looked over at Kushina and the baby. "It doesn't matter. I'll tell you now instead."

"What will you tell us, Jiji?" Asked Itachi eagerly.

The young boy loved hearing his clan elder tell stories about his youth, especially about the fights with the Shodai and Nidaime, both against and together with them.

Itachi often visited the Uchiha elder whenever he could. Helping out with the beautiful garden or learning whatever the man felt like teaching.

Shiro was usually there too. As the second child it was his sister who one day would become the next clan head of the Uchiha. She was usually out on missions and their father was also busy. Therefore Shiro had to spend a lot of time taking care of Madara since his health had been failing for many years now. He had never minded looking after his grumpy grandfather though.

"I'm going to tell you about the life of my wife, Uchiha Naruto, or as I knew her first, Namikaze Naruto." He said and smiled more genuinely towards Itachi. "She did a lot more than what the history books have recorded. And while she might not have agreed to my telling you this, I still feel she deserves to be remembered for the things she accomplished. Which is far greater than what Hashirama and I managed combined." He said and closed his eyes. Thinking back and getting lost in his memories while they waited.

Kushina wondered if he'd fallen asleep, he was very old after all, but then he opened his eyes and started talking.

"My wife… was born on the tenth of October in Konoha just before the Kyūbi attack. The village was both much the same and very different from this one..." He started telling them while everyone listened with rapt attention.

* * *

Five hours later the two families and Kakashi left the house in silence. Eventually Shiro had chased them out smiling apologetically. Madara was at the brink of falling asleep from such a long day and he needed his rest more than answering questions.

Most of them were still trying to convince themselves that Uchiha Madara had gone senile with a very vivid imagination. But the proof he'd showed them was still burned to the back of their minds.

Half way through the story, about the time Madara was talking in his rough hoarse voice about Naruto falling back in time, Kurama had started cursing.

Kushina had caught it, and after a few questions the fox had eventually confirmed what Madara was saying was true.

The old picture of the young Naruto with her genin team, showing an older Kakashi as their sensei, also shook them all to the core.

Minato and Kushina were looking at their son. Trying to envision what it would have been like if he had been forced to live the life which had been given to the Nidaime.

Alone, targeted and thrown back in time. Kushina was remembering the time she'd met Naruto herself. When she'd been only eleven and terrified because she was becoming the next jinchūriki.

Konoha had singled her out and asked for her specifically. Naruto had been the host of the Nine Tailed bijū, but also had some of the chakra of all nine demons, making her a meeting place between them all. Currently Kushina was the last jinchūriki, and was only allowed to be the one because the five Kage had agreed to it. Kurama had once said this was done to make sure Naruto's work was fulfilled. But back then she hadn't understood, though now she did.

Her mind went to the old lady who had been so happy to see her while Madara sat pale in the corner of the sun filled room.

How comforting and familiar she'd been with her and all the encouraging words Kushina had taken from the meeting. Used them over and over again while she tried to get to know the stubborn fox who seemed to still miss Naruto immensely.

Naruto had been sick, and being so old she was barely hanging on when Kushina came before her. She had still never shown her pain, only tried to comfort her.

Kushina wasn't aware she was crying before Minato dried the tears away from her cheek with his thumb.

His expression was grim as they stopped walking. The Uchihas halted and looked back at them with similar expressions on Fugaku and Mikoto's faces.

Itachi on the other hand stepped forwards, a wide smile on his face as he looked at baby Naruto.

"I've decided! I'll become just like Jiji! I'll protect the Hokage and Konoha and become strong for the sake of my precious people! Just like Naruto-sama was! Dad!" He said and abruptly pointed to his father while clutching his sister to him with his remaining arm.

Mikoto huffed at her son's careless action. "I want to start the academy tomorrow! In the other time line I was already almost a genin at my age!" He ordered.

He then looked at Kakashi. "And you were a jōnin! You should try and take the chūnin exam soon Kakashi-san."

The Hatake grunted and nodded reluctantly.

Kushina chuckled as Fugaku explained that Konoha didn't allow children to start before they were seven years old, which was only a few months away for Itachi. It was also impossible to graduate before you were thirteen. It wasn't necessary since they hadn't seen war in more than fifty years.

The red head looked searchingly up to the Hokage Mountain where the faces of the Hokage looked over their village. The Shodai Hashirama, Nidaime Naruto, Sandaime Hiruzen and last the Yondaime Orochimaru.

Her gaze trailed back to the Nidaime.

Uchiha Naruto.

Namikaze Naruto.

Uzumaki Naruto.

What had she felt? Could Kushina even start to imagine what she had gone through for them all? The idea of the world Naruto had grown up in made chills run up her spine. Being so lost the only one she could confide in was herself and Kurama.

What had she seen? Who had Minato and herself been to her? What must she have been thinking back when they met in that room, watching the girl who had once been her mother cry in her lap in despair? What was Kushina's pain in comparison to Naruto's?

Nothing.

Kurama was kind if not still in mourning, and privately, Kushina thought he always would be.

Looking down at her son she smiled as he fussed. "You're going to grow up happy, Naruto. Your dad and I will always protect you, we'll never leave you, and even when we're no longer here we'll always be in your heart. And it's all thanks to your older sister that you will never have to live through the hardship of this world, dattebane." She trailed off as tears pressed against her eyes again.

"Thank you..." Kushina muttered while Minato held her and hugged them both.

Their thoughts lingered on a blonde girl who had lost so much for the sake of peace. They were more resolved than ever that they wanted to follow and protect her legacy for the next generation to grow up safe and inherit the Will of Fire.

Minato smiled sadly and murmured softly in his wife's ear. "Come on. Let's go home."

* * *

That night Madara slept deeply. In his dream he was walking with Naruto on top of the Hokage Mountain with their young son.

They were showing him the view for the first time while he clung to Naruto's side. When they stood on top of Hashirama's head, looking down to the village below, the man the face belonged to, met them together with his wife.

As the sun rose slowly over the horizon they talked about the latest happenings. How Hiruzen had finally made genin, how Hatake Sakumo was too smart for a six year old boy, and how they had finally made a peace treaty with Sunagakure.

From down in the village Izuna waved up at them before walking towards the academy where he yet again had been roped into teaching the little brats.

His brother loved it, but Madara was the only one who'd been allowed to know that fact.

As Naruto leaned in and gave a chaste kiss to his lips he smiled and took a hold of their little boy, securing him in his arms while looking up into the sunrise.

Madara smiled in his sleep, his heart glad and at ease as he slept on.

When the arm of the clock reached the number one, Madara took his last shaking breath.

And while his head was filled with the many adventures of Team One, he finally joined his precious people at last.

* * *

**Second Wind**

_Second wind is a phenomenon which occurs when a person finds him or herself out of breath and is too tired to continue, then suddenly finds the strength to press on with less exertion at top performance._

* * *

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The end, Dattebayo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I've finished this…
> 
> It's been so fun to write Second Wind, even if it was frustrating at times when I tried to get things to add up. But I still really hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Tthank you Jayden-the-Jaded who has both given me tips on my continuing grammar mistakes and is betaing this monster of a story. It turned out so much longer than I expected. The last time I wrote a story I was ten and it was about six pages long…
> 
> I could have written a very long chapter for this epilogue, listing off what the consequences of time travel had done to more of the characters we know from canon, but I felt some things were just better left unsaid.
> 
> Second Wind is a Konoha centric story, and I refrained from dragging in the other great nations on purpose. I needed to focus and keep to the plot, and not get distracted about Ōnoki or similar characters. If I did it would be a separate story, and who knows, if I ever feel like writing a sequel at least I would have something to use. But that will be much later, if at all. Right now I need a long break from the clan warring states.
> 
> I've also posted a new story. I started drafting it back in January, but it's been slow going and a lot of conflict about what was going to happen. It's called 'After the Rain' and its another time travelling story with femnaruto going back to the third ninja war. (it's less angst filled though) If you feel like taking a peek you can find it on my profile.


	29. One Shots

**Second Wind - One Shots**

I'm sorry, but this is not a new chapter - Second Wind is finished - but I do have a couple of Second Wind one-shots posted if anyone has any interest in reading that.

If anyone wants to take a look you can find it on my profile under the name: 'Second Wind – One Shots'

 

Have a nice day everyone!


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